


Paint me in Trust

by EggMonstor



Category: Amphibia (Cartoon)
Genre: And Marcy flees Newtopia, Angst, Canon Divergent, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, King Andrias is not a good person, Marcy-centric, There will be soft gay moments, are you really that surprised, but also emotional manipulation, takes place after day at the aquarium, they don’t go to the temples
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:49:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29774364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EggMonstor/pseuds/EggMonstor
Summary: Marcy’s faced with a difficult choice. Should she accept the King’s proposition and betray her friends, or should she betray the King and put her very life on the line? After a talk with Lady Olivia, she sets off to find Sasha in order to bring her friends together and out of Amphibia. But Sasha may not even want to leave, and Anne might be just a little harder to get to this time around.
Relationships: Anne Boonchuy/Marcy Wu, Anne Boonchuy/Sasha Waybright, Anne Boonchuy/Sasha Waybright/Marcy Wu, Sasha Waybright/Marcy Wu
Comments: 38
Kudos: 80





	1. The Old Mill

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a lyric from Human by Dodie so go listen to it okay that’s an order.
> 
> So I started writing this a couple months ago but I got writer’s block after chapter 2 and it was left sitting in my docs like all my other abandoned fics. But I saw the trailer for season 2B and thought, ‘eh why not’ and decided to release what I’ve got to you guys before canon overwrites it. Mayhaps it will motivate me to finish this fic too, so be sure to yell at me in the comments to keep writing. I’m thinking 4-5 chapters, but that’s just a rough estimate. Anyway, hope you enjoy some angsty Marcy!

In the crisp chill of night and under the moon’s sinister red glow, a lone figure sat upon arguably the most dangerous position in all of Newtopia. She came out here often, balancing precariously on the long steel beam stretching out from the top of the King’s castle. She was the only one she knew who was loony enough to even try walking to the furthest point, but she loved the view of the city from here. The gentle glow of mushroom lights spread across the roads and homes usually warmed her in more ways than one. 

So it was a little more than frustrating that it couldn’t calm her down tonight. There were too many things racing through her mind, too many thoughts distracting her from the scene before her. She tried straining her eyes, staring down as hard as she possibly could, but it only caused her pain—enough for her to shut her eyes again and be greeted by her thoughts once more. She missed Anne  _ so much _ . How was she holding up today? Was she happy back with her frog family? Was she missing Marcy at all? 

But it wasn’t just Anne. The King’s words echoed somewhere in the back of her mind, snaking between every other waking thought. She knew she had to address it. She just didn’t want to. 

She would much rather think about Anne. 

The sound of quiet footsteps drew her attention suddenly, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Nobody else was supposed to come up here. She was supposed to be safe and  _ alone _ . 

But when she turned, she felt a sense of relief. It was just Lady Olivia, as prim and proper as ever, and easily making her way across the thin platform without even sticking both arms out for balance. Her hands remained folded across her torso, and she didn’t look down for a second. It was pretty incredible actually. 

“Master Marcy,” she greeted, polite, and with a short bow once she’d gotten close enough. 

“Lady Olivia,” Marcy responded, still not processing the fact that she was no longer alone here. “How did you…”

Lady Olivia smiled a bit, a rare sight to behold, and sat herself next to Marcy with a flourish of her fancy dress. “You think you’re the only one who likes coming out here?”

Marcy blinked a few times. 

_ No, of course not. Anyone would want to sit here if they  _ could _. But that’s just it. Nobody can. It’s too scary, too dangerous, too easy to fall to your death for a little joywalk. All in all, not worth it. At least, unless you’re well-versed in certain balancing techniques, have a heart that longs for every adrenaline rush out there, and wish to spite everyone else who happens to care more about their own safety than a gorgeous view. But no, most  _ normal _ people aren’t like that. So I guess there again is another reason I’m not normal.  _

“But isn’t that a good thing?” Lady Olivia said, placing both her hands by her sides, and Marcy suddenly realized she’d been thinking out loud again. “You’re  _ not _ normal, so you managed to snag the highest position in Newtopia, just under the King of course.”

“Hm. I guess.”

Sure, but that was  _ here _ . In Amphibia, Marcy could afford to let loose and be as  _ Marcy _ -like as she wanted to. To the newts,  _ everything _ about her was abnormal, so being different and weird from other humans was normal here. They could shrug it off as ‘That’s just how humans are, I guess.’ and she wouldn’t have to explain anything to them. It was why she loved this place so much. It was why she hadn’t bothered looking for a way home before. Because back at home, she  _ was _ the outcast, the weirdo nobody but Anne and Sasha wanted to talk to, and even then oftentimes she ended up simply third-wheeling. So coming to Amphibia was like a dream come true, and yet…

“What’s bothering you?” Lady Olivia pressed. “Because I know it’s not that.”

_ Ah, no. Of course not.  _ She’d long accepted her abnormality here in this dimension. 

“I miss Anne,” she said, still dodging her fears, still shoving down her last meeting with the King. Because she really did miss Anne, and it was much easier to miss someone than to think about the choice she had ahead of her. “I wish she could’ve stayed here with me.” She chuckled a little sadly. “That’s selfish, right? Trying to keep her to myself when I know she has a family who loves and cares for her.” And it was. But the moment Anne left her side, Marcy felt cold. It was like Anne was the only warmth she’d ever known, and she’d never feel it until the day she saw her again. 

“Maybe,” Lady Olivia responded, and her voice was gentle. “But then, so’s running off with your surrogate family when you’re so close to finding a way home, and then of course leaving all the heavy lifting to your best friend.”

She was talking about Anne. Right. Marcy had  _ tried _ sticking to logic and reason, but in the end she’d allowed Anne to follow her heart. In a way, Marcy had let her own heart take the wheel here too. 

“That’s true,” she agreed in a mumble. “And man, what  _ heavy _ lifting I have to do.” It was the first indication of her  _ real _ concern, the one that had drawn her out here in the first place. Normally such a thing wouldn’t so easily slip out of Marcy’s mouth, but she was so desperate for someone to talk to that it may as well be Lady Olivia. 

She raised an eyebrow. “Orders from the King usually are heavy,” was her response. “Everything he says must be taken seriously, I hope you haven’t forgotten.”

Marcy’s shoulders hunched. 

_ Sure, but… _

“I know that.”

_ But this is something I just can’t do. I know it’s not my place to decide what’s fair in this world, and I know the king is the most important priority in decision-making here, but still. Nothing about this sits well with me. If video games have taught me anything, it’s that there’s a certain moral compass you’ve got to stick to if you don’t want to become an antagonist. It’s fine, sure, to build up your experience and stats, but your strength is not meant to be used for dark purposes. From where I stand here, I’m beginning to think I’m on the wrong side.  _

“You tend to mumble quite a lot,” Lady Olivia said, and Marcy jumped, startled. “From the time you’ve spent here in Newtopia, I’ve grown accustomed to listening. You need to make sure you put a leash on that habit of yours before you go and say something you shouldn’t to the wrong person.” There was a kind of ice in her eyes that sent a chill down Marcy’s spine, and she knew she was being deadly serious. 

When was she not, though? Lady Olivia never wasted a breath on a joke or even a simple laugh. The only time anything even close to that happened was during the first week of her arrival, when Marcy was teaching King Andrias how to high-five and he accidentally sent her flying into a nearby pillar. Then, a small snort had burst free from her nostrils, and Marcy had taken it as an absolute win. 

Nothing like that had happened since. 

“Are you going to do something about it?” Marcy asked, and it felt like a challenge from deep in her gut. “I know you’re a rule-stickler, and what I just said—or mumbled—would, in most cases, be a reasonable suspicion for treason.” Her fingers curled around her crossbow, and oh frog, was she really about to  _ threaten _ Lady Olivia?

Lady Olivia cracked a smile, a genuine expression that halted Marcy’s movements. “No,” she said. “I know you, Master Marcy, and I know you wouldn’t question an order without good reason. When I said everything the King says must be taken seriously, I didn’t mean you must  _ agree _ with everything he says. Rather, everything must undergo a round of critical thinking. Because he is the King, he has the highest power, and therefore he has a responsibility to his people and what’s morally benevolent.” She leaned closer. “If you have reason to doubt something he’s asked of you, there’s a good chance that it’s wrong. Sticking to the rules is only a good idea under a  _ just _ King, because then you know they’re in place for a just reason. If the King is not just, then the rules are not just, and I do not enforce unjust rules.” 

Marcy blinked, twice, thrice, a dawning realization overcoming her. 

“Do you understand, Master Marcy? I know you’ve been thinking about it. You came out here tonight for that very purpose. And if after all that careful consideration you still believe what he ordered is wrong, then trust yourself. But then—how are you going to handle this? What is it you  _ know _ you should be doing right now?”

_ Anne. Sasha. I know them, and I know I have to save them.  _ This time, Marcy didn’t let herself mumble.  _ They’ll be in danger—whether I follow through with the King’s orders or not. So...what’s the best thing I can do to gain the upper hand, to win this game the way it’s meant to be?  _

She stood up, and Lady Olivia’s eyes followed her. 

“I’m going to find Sasha,” she said, a determined fire sparking within her gut. “I already know where Anne is, but we need all three of us before we leave. Then we’re going to charge up those gems and go home.” Then she thought for another moment. “Lady Olivia?”

“Yes, Master Marcy?” 

“Please act like you didn't hear anything. For all you know, I snuck out in the night without informing anyone, and left no trace. I don’t want anything to happen to you because of me.” Her hands curled into fists. 

And Lady Olivia’s smile grew fond. “Of course,” she replied. “Don’t fear. I’m the King’s most trusted advisor—he won’t suspect me so easily.” She stood up too, brushing her fancy dress off. 

Without a second thought, Marcy reached out with both arms and enveloped her in a hug. She let out a little noise of surprise, but didn’t make a move to push her away. For that, Marcy was grateful. Since she hadn’t been able to make many friends here, King Andrias and Lady Olivia were the only ones she could really say she had a connection with. So if the King couldn’t even be trusted, then that left solely the one here in Marcy’s arms. 

And she was going to have to leave her behind. 

“One last thing, Master Marcy,” Lady Olivia said under her breath. “Remember what I told you, and break that mumbling habit. You got lucky this time that it was just me, but you might not be so lucky next time. Amphibia is full of dangers, both from natural predators and from its own residents. Trust nobody—not even your friends. If you have to bend them to your will, then do it. You must do whatever it takes to get you three back in your world safely. They’ll thank you later.”

Marcy nodded. She knew Anne would follow her without hesitation, but she had a feeling she might need to twist Sasha’s arm a little. That was fine. After all, it was a  _ much _ smaller task compared to the mess she’d be trapped in if she stayed put. 

They parted ways, regretfully, and Lady Olivia went back to her bed while Marcy scaled her way further up the roof to the highest window. 

She’d of course been preparing for the journey from the moment the King had found the book on the box, as she much preferred to get ready ahead of time. There were obviously a lot of things she needed to get together, but she  _ could _ leave slightly under packed if absolutely necessary, and it seemed it was so now. The last thing she truly had to get her hands on before she snatched her pack and fled the city was the book. 

It was in King Andrias’s chamber. 

Now Marcy had snuck into his room twice before—once just to see if she  _ could _ , and the other to snag the key to one of the hidden libraries in the castle while he slept because  _ no _ she couldn’t wait patiently ‘till morning to ask him, she had to find a scroll  _ immediately _ . Putting the key back in its place at the crack of dawn may as well count as a third time, she thought, but then it was a little brighter and easier to see all the corners and potentially noisy objects in the room. In the middle of the night she was more or less blind, and she needed to feel her way through. 

It would’ve been a simple and relaxed procedure before. Before, Marcy had just thought the King was a jolly, sweet fellow, and that sneaking into his room probably wouldn’t have any major consequences. But now… now she wasn’t so sure. 

It made the task a whole lot more nerve-wracking this time around, but Marcy managed to lift the book from his desk and haul it underneath the massive king-sized bed. There, she whipped out her phone and hastily snapped pictures of all the relevant information. It was a bit of a hassle turning the pages quietly, but she knew it would only be louder if she tried taking the book out the window. She knew too, that she had to conceal the flash from her camera, so this was the best place to do so. Right under the King’s nose. 

When she was done, she very carefully hauled the book back to its spot and jumped out the window just as fast as she’d come in. And upon arriving back at her own room, she heaved a great sigh of relief. The hard part was over. Now came the easy part: fleeing. 

Before she left, Marcy took a moment to do a few things. Firstly, she sealed up the trapdoor to the basement with some of the super snail glue from her drawers. Then she very quickly decided which of her belongings she wanted to take, and which ones she didn’t. She had a backpack with most of the necessary items for the trip already, but with a lingering thought she snatched The Book of Losers plus a couple more berets and stuffed them in the side pockets of the bag. Some momentos, she supposed. She packed an extra cape too, because  _ something _ was bound to happen to the one she was wearing. 

With her backpack safely strung across her back and all her weapons at the ready, Marcy climbed down the side of the castle and made a beeline for that secret exit she’d discovered by the edge of Newtopia’s city walls. 

She didn’t look back. 

To Marcy, running had always come easy. Whenever she needed to escape social situations or the ever relentless bullies back at home, the best solution for her was to simply run. She hadn’t thought much of it before, but it certainly counted when she had her first close encounter with an Amphibia beast and needed to exit the scene before it could chop her up limb by limb. After that, she recognized her own skills and began to keep a record of them. If she could find her own velocity plus the distances she had to go, she could more or less calculate exactly how much time it would take her to get from one place to another. She’d done it on missions before just for fun, yknow, because physics and stuff. But right now the equations zinged through her head for a different reason. Namely, she needed to calculate which routes to take in order to move faster, and she needed to calculate how much distance she had to cover per day before any meal breaks or sleep. 

It was a lot of work, for sure, but Marcy was more than happy to do all of it. 

With her careful planning and calculations plus maybe a few skipped breaks, Marcy managed to make it where she wanted to go in around four days. And if she only slept through the night for one of those days, that was but a small sacrifice.

Where had she ended up then?

_ It’s a simple process of elimination. I’ve heard tales far and wide of a strange, gangly creature standing at the side of the ex-Captain Grime at the formerly mighty Toad Tower in Frog Valley. It doesn’t take a genius to guess that he’s got a human lieutenant, or that it must be Sasha. With Grime’s subsequent fall from grace, I find it’s highly unlikely that they’ve separated from one another. It’s too dangerous out here for them not to stick together. Sasha would know that. So, I can find Sasha if I can find Grime.  _

There were a lot of factors to consider, all of which Marcy meticulously pondered over to reach her conclusion. 

_ It’s unlikely that they’ve actually left the valley. It’s too risky to venture into territory they don’t know like the back of their hand. But then, they’d have to find a place where they can hide in plain sight. Even if Grime was removed from his post, he’s still a toad, and frogs will still cower before him at first instinct. Long enough perhaps for him to pass through without being recognized. That means he’s going to want to stick to a frog majority village. Any place populated mostly by toads is out, as is the tower and Wartwood. Even if Wartwood is a frog village, he could still run into Anne and the Plantars. So the villages closest to Wartwood are out too.  _

There were a few last details Marcy had considered too, but they all eventually landed her in one village out in the middle of nowhere, populated mostly by frogs much more interested in putting food on the table rather than the political state of Toad Tower. 

Of course, this was the first time on this trip that Marcy actually entered a place with  _ people _ in it. She’d taken extra care to avoid highly populous areas so as not to arouse suspicion. She couldn’t exactly blend in with frogs—she was too tall and too conspicuous, so the easiest solution was to simply not deal with that at all. So sure, she’d had to hunt for her own food and avoid monsters every five minutes on her race here, but that again was all part of her careful planning. Here, though, Marcy needed to sneak around and see if she could catch any juicy gossip about one stranger toad and one horrifying creature with him. 

It took approximately three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and forty seconds for her to stumble upon a group of children walking in a large group as the biggest, loudest of them told a terrifying tale of the pair of cannibals up in the old mill on the edge of town. So either Marcy was going to have to kill a couple of horned bullfrogs, or she’d found her quarry. In any case, it gave her a lead to investigate, and she immediately slipped quietly out of town to snoop around the mill. 

The area was dense and foresty, perfect cover for her to crawl along tree branches and survey her surroundings with the special pair of royal binoculars she’d packed. She managed to get close enough to the mill to peer inside and find it empty. Well, empty of people, at least. There were clothes, bog grog cans, and other items strewn haphazardly about, clueing Marcy in to the realization that the residents were currently out. That was fine. 

She investigated the forest too, maybe falling off her branch quite by accident a few times, but as long as she caught hold of the next one down that didn’t matter. She was  _ tired _ —that was the problem. It made her reaction time slower and her grip weaker. So maybe skipping all those nights of sleep wasn’t such a good idea. Yeah, better make a mental note for that one later. 

She was just about to open her journal and take a few notes on the vegetation here along this particular latitude of Amphibia when she suddenly heard voices. 

“I  _ told _ you, Grime.” That familiar, sassy tone was like music to Marcy’s ears. “We can’t head out until you’ve gotten back in shape. What’s gonna happen when we run into herons again? Or that  _ stupid _ Newtopian General? You gonna fight them with your  _ beard _ ?”

In the bushes nearby, Marcy noticed a stir. There was someone else here. Someone else tailing Sasha and Grime. They were well hidden, but it seemed whatever Sasha said had bothered them enough to fume and subsequently rustle the shrub they were under. 

It was bothering Marcy too. 

_ Newtopian General? Why would— _

Said General suddenly emerged from the shrub and darted over to the next one closest to the voices, and in that thin timeframe Marcy managed to get a good look at her. That white, slicked back hair and pink skin with darker spots were unmistakable. So  _ this _ was where General Yunan had disappeared to. With her retractable claws poised and ready, and her stance murderous, everything clicked. 

_ I’m so  _ stupid _ ,  _ she thought, the horrifying realization coming as a slap to her face.  _ The only one who can order an execution on a toad fugitive is a newt. And the only one who can send a Newtopian General to do it is the King. He’s ordered the assassination of Grime, and Sasha is going to be collateral damage.  _

But then that pink head raised, ever so slightly, and Marcy remembered she hadn’t successfully broken her habit yet. 

In the brief window of time before Yunan looked to the treetops, Marcy had already bounced to the next branch, directly above the newt, and then launched herself—or rather, tripped and  _ fell _ —downward with her weapons drawn. She landed squarely on Yunan’s shoulders, blocked an instinctive blow from one clawed hand, and smashed the lights out of her with her heavy, lumpy backpack. 

As the Newtopian General crumpled to the ground beneath Marcy, unconscious, she disturbed the leaves and the grass loud enough to catch the attention of both her targets. So before Marcy could even breathe a great sigh of relief and settle this adrenaline rush fraying her nerves, her position had already been compromised. 

So much for staying hidden. 

“It must be the General,” Sasha said, eyes narrowed. She’d somehow drawn her sword already and was surveying her surroundings like a soldier would. Marcy frowned. 

_ Well… Anne did say there were some swords and explosions during their last encounter.  _

Now how was she going to deal with this?

Before she could even attempt to walk out slowly with her arms raised in surrender, Sasha was already charging at the bush, poised to strike, and then instinct overtook Marcy from there. 

She surged upward to grab hold of Sasha’s sword-wielding arm and  _ twist _ it behind her back, hard enough for her to startle into dropping her weapon, then she brought her slamming to the ground underneath, both knees trapping her legs in place as Sasha’s high-pitched shriek broke through the air. 

“Grime, she’s got me!” She yelled, and Marcy suddenly remembered she had two opponents to worry about. 

_ Opponents? What in the name of frog am I doing? _

“Sasha, it’s me!” She said, a little desperately at that, and speedily released her friend from the hold. 

Sasha scrambled away from her, finally  _ looking _ at her with a horrified expression. “Wha— _ Marcy _ ?”

And then Grime was upon them, swinging his own sword at Marcy, and she just narrowly managed to dodge decapitation. 

“Oh, for  _ frog’s _ sake!” She hastily raised her crossbow to point it at Grime from where she’d landed, and he instantly froze in his tracks. 

_ Perfect. Having a long-ranged weapon comes in handy yet again! _

“Wait!” Sasha shouted, leaping forward to grab Marcy’s arm this time. “Don’t shoot. He’s with me.”

Marcy raised an eyebrow. 

_ Interesting. I didn’t think she’d be so quick to protect him. _

“Is that…” Grime said, his eyes widening. “Another human?”

“Yeah,” Sasha told him. “This is Marcy.”

Marcy lowered her crossbow, and she noticed Sasha’s hands lingered there on her arm as she did. It must have felt strange, she supposed, to finally see each other after all this time. It had been genuinely bizarre to see Anne again just a couple weeks ago after they’d spent  _ months _ apart—something that would’ve never happened back at home. They used to see each other every day, both at school and at their never ending string of sleepovers. But now, it was like they were meeting each other all over again. 

Sasha looked so  _ different _ . She was even bulkier than usual, her muscular body adorned from head to toe with a fashionably fitted set of Toad Tower armor, worn from use too. The usual spark of condescending pride was missing from her eyes, in its place a more grounded determination, and there was a deep scar carved into the flesh of her cheek. A battle scar. Her nails were chipped and unkempt, her hair only as neat as was necessary to squeeze it into a frizzy ponytail, and not a whiff of her usually overwhelming perfume reached Marcy’s nose. 

As she sized up her own friend, she noticed Sasha doing the same. It must have been equally as unusual to see Marcy so physically powerful herself, sporting a tightly packed bag over her Newtopian style grand armor and torn cape, and all the  _ weapons _ . Her crossbow fastened to her arm, daggers strapped to both shins and one hidden at her side, plus a sword for just in case tucked neatly within her cape. Weapons for all occasions, as she liked to put it, but her crossbow was her go to in a jam. 

Likewise, she noted the sword Sasha bent over to pick up and return to its sheath at her own side. Was that the sword she used to fight Anne?

“Where have you been all this time?” Sasha asked the first question, because Marcy already knew all the answers to her own questions. Everything about Sasha’s appearance checked out purely with the information that she’d been hanging around Grime all this time. And she knew why they were now out here in the boonies hiding from the King. 

“In Newtopia,” she answered honestly, and she caught the line of tension that shot through Grime’s shoulders. There really wasn’t any use trying to hide it now, so she may as well get this conversation over with from the start. “I’d been doing jobs here and there, getting to know the lay of the land, you know. But I had to leave. And… you were the only person I could turn to right now.” Even if there was no way to fib about her status as a fugitive, there was of course, an easy way to regain Sasha’s trust using emotions. Let her believe she was still the one in control, the one Marcy  _ needed _ right now. 

Sasha took the lie in stride, as if this was exactly what she’d expected of good ‘ol Marcy. A deeply unsettled pit nestled at the bottom of her stomach as she realized what she was going to have to do to her own friend. “So what’d you do?” Sasha asked then. “Break a priceless vase? Accidentally say something insensitive to the King himself? Trip down a flight of stairs and land on an elderly newt?” Her signature smirk had returned to her face, and Marcy felt just a twinge of satisfaction that she had Sasha right where she wanted her. 

_ Oh, you have no idea. _

“I was given a mission that I couldn’t do,” she said. “It’s hard, y’know. Even with all the experience I’ve gotten here already, there are just some things one girl can’t do. And of course, disobeying a direct order from the King results in...well, death.” A bit dramatic, yeah, but the real punishment for such a folly was far, far worse than that, so  _ in a way _ she was actually sugarcoating it. 

“You work directly for the king?” Grime asked, and his suspicion seemed to increase. Marcy could tell by the way his clawed hand hovered over his sword once again. Not good. Sasha might be easy to fool, but not so much a seasoned and jaded soldier with years of experience. 

“I  _ did _ ,” Marcy corrected. “But I had to abandon my post.” She chose her words carefully, considered every angle she could tell her story, and which one would earn Grime’s favor. “I’m a fugitive now, and I can’t exactly guarantee the King won’t send someone after me too. At the very least, it won’t be that one.” She gestured to the still unconscious General Yunan on the ground just a few feet away from them, and it seemed this was the first time they actually  _ saw _ her. 

“Wait,” Sasha said, shocked. “You took down General Yunan? By yourself?”

“It was more like I fell out of a tree and landed on her,” Marcy told her, sheepishly. It wasn’t exactly untrue, but she was careful not to go into detail. It was fine that Sasha knew Marcy was a bit stronger now, but she didn’t want to seem  _ too _ threatening in Grime’s presence. She couldn’t risk the toad killing her in her sleep—though she still made a mental note to keep one eye open at night anyway. 

_ Trust no one.  _ Lady Olivia’s words echoed in her brain. 

“So you’re a fugitive,” Grime said, one hand over his chin in careful consideration. “And you became one willingly?”

Marcy sighed. Willingly? “It’s a little bit more complicated than that,” she told him. No, she never planned to betray the King, but she had no other  _ option _ if she truly wanted to save her friends. 

“So then enlighten me,” he responded, arms folding. Oh frog, she hated him already. He asked too many questions. 

“I feared for my life,” she said. “He was going to try to kill me either way—whether I stayed there to be executed publicly, or I got a head start on escaping. I figured running away would buy me some more time, and then I came to the first person I  _ knew _ I could trust. I’m not safe anywhere anymore, so to cut back a little bit on the danger, I thought it would be a good idea to have someone watching my back. Can’t sleep with both eyes closed when you’re on the run.”

Sasha glanced at Grime, a bit of a sharp look as though she was trying to scold him with her eyes. “She’s in the same position we are,” she told him. “Nowhere left to go, desperate for a place to hide. Except she doesn’t have someone else to look after her.”

Grime’s expression changed then. It seemed to soften a bit, and here Marcy felt that surge of victory. She’d successfully gained a scrap of empathy from him, and that was a strong building block for trust. 

“Um…” then Sasha turned back to Marcy. “You didn’t happen to find Anne on the way here, did you?”

Here it was. It was time for Marcy to get Sasha’s side of the story. “She’s on her way back to Wartwood right now,” she told her, and she rather enjoyed the tension that overtook her friend. “She came to Newtopia a couple weeks ago, but she’d already left by the time I fled the city. I thought we should go grab her next. I’m sure she’s missing you.”

Sasha’s shoulders hunched. “So you guys did meet,” she said. “Did she tell you everything then?”

Marcy nodded. “It was enough for me to know how to find you.” Another lie. She just worried Sasha might be offended that she had known where she was far before Anne even showed up, and yet she never bothered to come looking for her. 

“Why didn’t you go to Anne first, then?” Grime asked the next question. “I’m sure she would’ve told you to stay away from Sasha at all costs.”

Sasha glared at him again, but Marcy could tell by her stifled grimace that she thought the same. 

“She didn’t, actually,” Marcy revealed, and it surprised the other two for some reason. 

_ Strange. They must not realize—no matter what Sasha has done in the past or what happened between her and Anne in Amphibia, Anne would never speak ill of a friend. She still cares so much, and she still wants to help the both of us. It’s...pretty incredible actually.  _

Sasha’s expression had fallen further, and Marcy cursed herself inwardly for doing it  _ again _ . 

“A-anyway,” she went on, face reddening. “The King knows I know where Anne is, so he’ll be anticipating I go to her. He’s not expecting me to come to you guys, because he thinks I have no idea where you are. So getting to Anne on my own right now is more or less impossible. I need  _ your _ help.”

Her friend relented then, stepping forward to casually lay an arm across Marcy’s shoulder and guide her in the direction of the mill. “Alright,” she said. “I don’t know what we’re gonna do about Anne, but at the very least you can hide here with us.”

“Are you sure, Lieutenant?” Grime spoke his doubts one last time as he hurried to catch up with the pair. “We still don’t know everything.”

Sasha let out a long, breathy exhale. “I know you’re trying to help, but you’re seriously killing my vibe here,” she snapped. “Marcy’s my friend, okay? I don’t care if she hasn’t told us what she ate for breakfast this morning. She needs a place to sleep, and we’ve got one. So shut up and trust me.”

Marcy relaxed under the warm contact, not only relieved that she’d accomplished today’s goal, but maybe also just happy to have someone to lean on. Even if she was still on edge about Grime, she knew she could at least count on Sasha not to let some toad stab her best friend in the middle of the night. This was fine. As long as she had one person fully in her pocket, the other would follow eventually. 

Sasha’s grip was light, but secure. It reminded her somewhat of Anne, except Anne tended to squeeze a little harder when she was feeling especially emotional. They’d generally liked to touch each other before, but it seemed that here in Amphibia it was all they could do. Every moment of every waking hour Marcy had spent with Anne, they were never not reaching for each other, holding each other for the sake of making sure this wasn’t just some wishful dream. To prove that they were real, that they were here together in this world, they had to be touching at all times. So when Sasha had begun doing the same with Marcy, Marcy couldn’t help but reciprocate. Her arm snaked ever so conspicuously around Sasha’s waist, which could on the surface have looked as though she was simply tired and needed a bit of help standing up, but to Marcy it was much more than that. And she knew Sasha could feel it too. 

Grime had fallen silent, though Marcy felt his eyes burning holes through the back of her cape. She didn’t mind it right now, though, as she was very much preoccupied with finally getting to feel Sasha next to her again. That, and how  _ exhausted _ she was. It was a thing—whenever Marcy’s adrenaline rushes finally died down, her body liked to beat her with the club of  _ ‘hey! Go to sleep! _ ’ repeatedly until she eventually passed out. 

_ Yeah, yeah. It’s finally okay to get some rest. Remind me later not to go days on end without eating or sleeping. It’s probably not healthy, I guess, because it always makes me feel like this. No, I  _ know _ it’s not healthy because I read about that years ago. It’s just always been easier to ignore that when you’ve got an infinite stash of buggacinos in the castle. How did I survive this trip without them? Ah, must have been the adrenaline. It’s kinda hard to think about sleep when you’re running away from a ten-foot-tall eldritch praying mantis of hell— _

“Seriously, you look like a trainwreck,” Sasha interrupted her mumbling, and Marcy shut her eyes tightly in exasperation. “What’s wrong with you? You think just because we pulled all-nighters during sleepovers that you can just keep doing it for as long as you please? People  _ die _ without sleep, Marcy. That’s a thing I know, but you definitely know it too, you smartass.”

“M’kay, no, that’s not actually true,” she responded in a mutter. “You heard about the Russian Sleep Experiment and thought it was real, but it’s not. It’s a work of fiction, Sash, and there’s not a shred of solid scientific evidence that one can actually die when deprived of sleep for extended periods of t—“

“ _ Okay _ , that’s enough,” her friend interjected again, irritation seeping through. “Just  _ listen _ to me for once.”

_ I always do,  _ she wanted to say, but she was too exhausted to keep arguing. As much as she hated to admit it, Sasha was actually right this time. Even if she wasn’t 100% accurate with her evidence, at least her general idea was correct. Marcy needed to go to sleep. She couldn’t exactly do much else until she recharged her batteries. 

“Hey Grime,” Sasha addressed the toad captain this time. “Do me a favor and throw the General into the river again. It seems to keep her away for a decent amount of time so we can recuperate and then leave this place.”

Grime nodded, then grinned. “So then I  _ don’t _ have to be in shape before we go?”

Marcy could see the utter disappointment in Sasha’s scowl. “Fine. Whatever. It’s safer for us to leave as soon as possible anyways. Marce just needs to sleep for about 16 hours, and during that time we can finalize our plans and get started.”

_ Her plans? What plans?  _ Marcy wanted to know. She wanted to be present in the discussion about these plans, but Grime had already left and they’d already reached the mill where Sasha began steering her a little forcefully in the direction of what  _ appeared _ to be a bed, but was more of a pile of burlap sacks in the shape of one. 

“Lay down,” she commanded, and Marcy obeyed easily. “And  _ stay _ there. If I find you getting up and walking around even once before night falls, I’m going to strap you down.”

To that, Marcy couldn’t say anything. Sasha  _ was _ being the logical one here, which was totally backwards in comparison to how their dynamic worked back home. But even so, even as Sasha walked out the door once again and left Marcy on her own, she found she didn’t want to sleep. Not yet. Not before she did one last thing. 

She pulled out her journal and began drawing. 

_ Just one more thing. I have to document it here for future reference. I want a permanent record of everything I’ll want to look back on later. So just a few lines here, and a touch of shading to add there, and then… _

She only got about halfway through before her eyes closed completely and her body simply gave in to exhaustion. 

~~

Sasha reached Grime just as he was heaving General Yunan’s still unconscious form over the cliff and into the river below. He cupped a clawed hand above his eyes and watched her go, floating further and further away from them. If she drowned, well, that wasn’t their problem. 

“There you are,” he said, noticing her approach. “And I see you left your friend alone in our mill.”

_ Oh, this again.  _ Irritation returned, and Sasha folded her arms in exasperation. “I’m not dealing with your whining,” she told him. “If it bothers you that much, I’m sure Percy and Braddock will be back soon anyways. I left them a note so they hopefully won’t disturb Marcy while she sleeps.”

“Did you check that she was sleeping already when you walked out?” 

Without a second thought, Sasha stepped forward and brought her fist down harshly on the top of Grime’s warty head. 

“Ow—! Fine, okay! I’ll stop!” He snapped, rubbing the spot fervently. 

“I just don’t get why you can’t trust my friends,” she muttered. “I’ve known Marcy for years—she’s not sly enough to trick us, nor would she even  _ want _ to.”

Grime snorted. “Isn’t that exactly how you thought of Anne? And look how that turned out.”

She knew he was never going to let her live that down, and as much as she was loathed to admit it, that hurt. Anne wasn’t an easy subject in general. She’d constantly go back and forth between that terrified, self-doubting spur of emotions which dragged at her body there on that tower where Anne clung desperately to her arm, and then that other emotion—rage, twisted and full of vengeance. Why? Because Anne had betrayed her. She wasn’t so easy to control anymore, and she never would be again. But it wasn’t like that with Marcy. 

“Marcy’s different,” Sasha insisted, grimacing slightly at how petulant her tone came off. “Anne only fought me because of those slimy little frogs she got attached to. But didn’t you notice? Marcy came alone. She has  _ nobody _ —just like it always was before our friend group came together. She won’t be so easily turned on me.”

She really hoped it was true, too, because she wasn’t sure she could handle another  _ incident _ . 

Grime seemed to consider it for a moment. “If you’re sure,” he said. “I trust  _ you _ , Sasha. Know that I only mean well.”

“I know that.” And she did. She knew that Grime had been looking out for her ever since the collapse at Toad Tower—because then he was in a position where he couldn’t exactly be picky with his friends. So if she was going to stay by his side, then he was going to do everything in his power to respect and protect her, just as he knew she would. 

It was just a little annoying at times. 

Until late afternoon was finally upon them, Grime and Sasha took a final tour of the forest around the mill. They needed a direction to head in, somewhere preferably far away from the river they’d dumped the Newtopian General in, plus a game plan for what to do on their trip and once they reached a destination. 

The sun had begun to set by the time they returned to the mill, casting a warm, orange glow over the horizon and through the small windows. Braddock and Percy were already inside, but they were both giggling at something Sasha and Grime weren’t privy to. Grime immediately beckoned them both outside for some last minute training, but not before nodding Sasha in the direction of her sleeping friend. 

_ I guess…I should check on her?  _

It seemed like a good idea, and it wasn’t like she was doing anything else. As she approached the makeshift bedside, she noticed a book still held tight between Marcy’s fingers, and a mechanical pencil sitting atop the pages, almost as though she’d been—

_ She didn’t go straight to sleep like I told her to,  _ Sasha realized with just a hint of irritation. So there she was, snoring away like an idiot because  _ of course _ she would fall asleep on her own work. 

_ Can’t believe she couldn’t just leave it ‘till she woke up.  _ Sasha reached over to pull the items ever so carefully away from her friend, but her eyebrow jumped upwards when she actually got a look at the page. 

It was her. 

Marcy had been drawing Sasha—a very flattering likeness to be sure, complete with her armor and scar and everything, though only from her waist to head. It seemed like she’d knocked out before she could fill in her legs, but the top half was lovely. Whether that was just Marcy’s slick drawing skills or that Sasha’s outfit was  _ on point _ today was open to interpretation, but it brought some kind of heat to Sasha’s cheeks, and she immediately frowned. 

_ What’s that? Why does this make me feel weird? _

Another thought suddenly crossing her mind, she repositioned her grip on the notebook and flipped speedily through the previous pages, scanning each one with quick pupils. Sure enough, she found a drawing of Anne—in one of the most goofy  _ Anne _ faces she could make plus a pair of straws sticking out of her nose. The caption above it read  _ ‘Strawrus Walrus’ _ , and Sasha had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from snorting out loud.

Same old Anne. So… she  _ hadn’t _ changed as much as Sasha thought. If that was the case, then she knew Marcy must be in the same position. Amphibia may have given the girls a harsh lesson in reality, but it didn’t necessarily change who they were at their core. So Marcy must still be the same bubbly, eager-to-learn girl without a hint of worry for what lay ahead. Not only that, but she was also very much inclined to listen to Sasha—even if there was some playful arguing in the process. The fact that she’d accepted going to sleep in the first place gave her a little bit of evidence there. If Marcy thought what Sasha said was a good idea, then she’d follow it. That’s what it seemed at least. 

Sasha placed the notebook on a barrel next to her and reached out to pull one of the Toad Tower uniform capes over Marcy. Just because it was nice outside now didn’t mean one couldn’t still wake up cold. And  _ yes _ , of course Sasha cared about her friends. She cared about Anne too, and that was why she tried so desperately to get them both home the easy way. Now… she had no idea if she even wanted to go home anymore. But Marcy was here too, and she didn’t know what  _ she _ wanted. A place to stay, sure, but was she really all that excited about running around as a fugitive for the rest of her time here? Sasha studied her friend’s sleeping face as it twitched and changed to the mood of her dreams. 

She looked distressed. 

But as much as Sasha would’ve liked to rescue her from whatever nightmare she was having, she also refused to let Marcy awaken before she’d gotten a decent sleep. So then…

Sasha sat softly on one of the sacks by the edge and leaned down to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. Maybe give her a little human contact and she’d—

Marcy grabbed her hand with both of hers. She didn’t look it, but she was  _ strong _ too. The grip dug deep into Sasha’s skin and yanked her forward to faceplant right next to her friend. Dazed, she raised her confused head to check Marcy’s expression again, but not only was Marcy’s face directly two inches away from her own, her eyes were also open. 

“Marce…?”

Those eyes were wide as saucers, and they seemed to look  _ through _ her rather than at her. It sent a chill down Sasha’s spine, but she couldn’t exactly move away because Marcy still had a death-grip on her arm. And they stayed in that frozen position for several seconds before Marcy finally blinked several times, her fingers twitching, and then took in a great gasp of breath.

Sasha extracted her hand from Marcy’s relaxing hold, watching as she coughed out that breath just as fast and curled into herself, both arms wrapped around her stomach and her shoulders hunched. 

_ Was it really that bad? _

Sasha had no idea what to say, but she knew she had to explain herself as she sat up slowly once more. Only— _ did _ she though? Or was Marcy too preoccupied for it to cross her mind? 

“Hey. Mar-mar,” she reached out again, but her hand froze halfway when Marcy shivered. 

Finally, finally she looked up, looked  _ at _ Sasha, and her expression relaxed slightly. “Hi, Sash. What time is it?”

Sasha frowned and pulled out her phone. “7:20 PM,” she read. “Not quite nightfall yet, but at least you made it to the sunset.” Of course this idiot would try to change the subject before Sasha could even ask her what that little  _ thing _ was all about. But that wouldn’t stop her. “Did you dream?” 

Marcy jumped, her eyes widening again, and Sasha’s narrowed. “N-no, not really.”

_ Liar.  _

Marcy  _ always _ wanted to talk about her dreams—even if they were nightmares. Practically every other day, she’d come bouncing into school and launch into a whole speech about exactly what hijinks her brain thought up to entertain her during the night. She’d go into unnecessary detail about what the setting was like—that the sky was green for some reason, and the sun wasn’t actually the sun but a cool ranch Dorito in the shape of a circle, oh and every human had a panda head for some reason. 

_ What did the pandas have? Human heads?  _ Sasha could practically  _ hear _ Anne’s voice ringing in her head, the one that  _ always _ indulged Marcy’s excitement. But if Marcy was refusing to talk now, that was a bad sign. 

“C’mon,” she pressed. “I know something was happening up there just now.” Her finger poked the middle of her friend’s forehead playfully. “Was it scary? Some Amphibia monster with way too many teeth chasing you?”

Marcy managed a wobbly smile under the contact. “Something like that,” she mumbled. “Seriously, the creatures here are  _ extraordinary _ versions of what we’ve got back home. Have you ever seen what their  _ ants _ look like?” And she sat up, scooting closer to Sasha as she spoke. 

Some relief ran through Sasha when she heard the energy slowly building back up in Marcy’s voice. Even if she was still bothered that she wouldn’t tell her the details of her dream, at least she was feeling better. 

“I haven’t,” she responded with a slight smile. “What are they, 7 feet tall?”

“Practically!” Then Marcy infodumped not just a detailed description of barbariants’ appearance, but also their migration patterns and interpersonal habits with each other and their Queen. To top it off, she told her the story of how she warded off a whole pack of them before they could invade Newtopia’s gates, and… Anne had been there too. Her energy tapered off then, as did Sasha’s smile. 

With a pause in conversation, Marcy pulled her knees up to rest her chin on them. “Sorry,” she said. 

“It’s whatever,” Sasha told her. “I know you must miss her too.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, and there was some visible pain there. “But I…let her go. She was supposed to stay with  _ me _ in Newtopia, but she looked  _ so sad _ when she realized her frog family had to leave, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stand seeing her cry like that, so I let her go. And now she’s off who-knows-where, completely unaware that the King’s spies are tailing her right now. Not just that, but,” she exhaled shakily. “They’re after  _ me _ , not her. I know I ran through my plan dozens of times, considered every possible variable, and I know they have nothing to gain by revealing themselves right now. It’s better for them to wait, because only Anne knows where the box is, and they need that box, so they’ll want to watch her until she’s got it. But  _ still _ .”

Sasha felt a pit settle at the bottom of her stomach. She knew exactly where Marcy was going with this, but it didn’t make it any less horrifying to hear. 

“What if they decide to take her  _ hostage _ to get to me? I’ve seen the prison cells in the castle, the basement, the darkest corridors and rooms. They’re not messing around there, Sasha, and they’re not above torture either. Cruel and unusual punishments aren’t defined in any sort of constitution—the only ‘lawmaker’ they have is the King.”

“I know.” Obviously, Sasha had an idea of what kind of King he was if he’d so quickly sent a  _ maniac _ for Grime’s head after the incident at Toad Tower, but Marcy continued explaining anyway. 

“He’s not what he seems,” she said, and here she was becoming so apparently  _ paranoid _ —her pupils darted both ways suspiciously, and her hands curled around her knees tightly as she spoke. “No matter how many fun games he liked to play, or how much he claimed to enjoy my company, I know he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me or my friends. He’s  _ sociopathic _ , Sasha.”

_ Yeah. And you  _ lived _ with him for three months.  _

“He won’t find us,” she told her, an attempt at reassurance. “And like you said, Anne will probably be fine. You’ve always been good at predicting other people’s actions, so I’m sure you’ve got this one right too. They won’t attack until she’s got the box, or whatever you said, and by then we’ll be there to stop them.”

“We  _ have _ to.” Marcy’s tone was deadly, and it mildly frightened Sasha. Obviously she was just as determined to keep Anne out of harm’s way, but she’d never seen her other friend  _ this _ serious before. 

Sasha realized then that she couldn’t count on her to still be the exact same old Marcy from back home. These past months had hardened her, somehow, made her more alert, riddled with fear and mistrust, so much that she hadn’t even bothered telling Sasha  _ what _ the King asked her to do nor what kind of nightmare she’d just had. Something told her the two just might be related. 

_ Maybe Grime is right,  _ she thought.  _ Maybe I shouldn’t just expect everything to go smoothly with Marcy.  _ Even if she still doubted Marcy had it in her to be deceitful, there was no refuting the fact that she was bound to be even more paranoid and careful than usual. All those times she’d watched with laughter as both her and Anne fled the scenes of their failed Scare Dare challenges were far in the past. Now, she had the feeling Marcy was more inclined to aim and fire her crossbow faster than she’d think to run—which could either be very good or very  _ bad _ depending on what Anne’s circumstances were. 

But still. 

Sasha laid an arm around Marcy’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Hey, we can do this,” she said with a grin. Still, Marcy was one of her best friends, and that meant there was only a certain level of suspicion she could hold for her. Marcy was still Marcy, even if she was a little more jaded now. “You and me, together, and soon we’ll have Anne too. Remember? When you’ve got your best friends by your side, there’s  _ nothing _ we can’t accomplish.”

Marcy’s stone face finally broke into a smile. “Yeah,” she agreed. “You’re right. We can outsmart the King. Outrun him. Keep on our toes and figure this out—as long as we’ve got each other.” Her eyes met Sasha’s for a brief moment before dropping back to her knees, and Sasha got that strange feeling again. She felt as though she was heating up—from her arm all the way through the rest of her body. 

_ Is it Marcy? Is Marcy making me feel like this? But why?  _ She still didn’t understand. 

But she remembered a few weeks ago, up in that tower on that fateful day when she’d felt something eerily similar as she tugged on Anne’s hand and beckoned her into that carriage. 

_ “It’s a love carriage,” Braddock had said before, in that little window of time Sasha had to get ready before she and Grime and the whole toad army set out to Wartwood. “Sorry. You said the ‘best one we have’, and that would be this. If you’d like, I can always call for a different one.” _

_ Sasha had considered it for a moment, a very brief moment, before she shook her head. “No, this is fine. I think it’s cute, actually.” She walked around the back, checked every corner and the cleanliness of the inside. It was practically perfect. “All the hearts and gold? Love it! Thanks, Braddock!” She gave her a hearty clap on the back, and the soldier chuckled sheepishly.  _

_ It hadn’t been something she’d thought too deeply about until she actually got to  _ see _ Anne, to talk to her, hug her, hold her hand in her own. When she finally presented her the carriage, that  _ feeling _ overwhelmed her body—an irrationally giddy kind of light-headed. Like Anne’s reaction was to be the most exciting thing she’d ever experienced.  _

_ It was well worth seeing her friend smile in amusement, fondly squeeze her hand and follow her inside. The only thing that kept it from being perfect were those dumb frogs, the ones Anne insisted should tag along, and therefore the carriage wasn’t as private as she’d hoped it would be.  _

_ And private? Why did she want it to be private? She told herself it was just because she’d wanted to get Anne caught up with everything Grime had planned  _ away _ from Hop pop’s ears, but deep down she knew it was more than that.  _

_ “Is this a love carriage?” Anne had asked her in a playful whisper inside, amidst the rowdy pair of frog siblings bouncing off the walls.  _

_ “Yep,” Sasha confirmed unabashedly. “It’s ‘cause I love you so much.” And she’d ruffled Anne’s curly brown hair teasingly, indulging in the sunny grin and bubbly laughter she received from her. The moment had passed in seconds, but that minuscule timeframe meant the world to Sasha. For some reason.  _

_ There had  _ been _ a reason she’d pulled Anne away from her frogs during the banquet, and there had been a reason she’d treated her to an extravagant feast plus a hot, relaxing shower for her troubles. But most importantly, there had been a reason she’d needed to keep one hand somewhere on Anne at all times.  _

_ That reason was the same one she’d let go of her hand up there on that cliff, why she’d just given up on her own life in order to save Anne’s so easily.  _

_ It was because...because she… _

“You okay, Sash?” Marcy’s concerned voice reached her, and Sasha was regretfully snapped back into reality, still warm and still holding her friend tight in a one-armed embrace. 

“Yep, I’m cool,” she responded hastily. “Just thinking of where we should head after we pick up Anne.”

Marcy seemed to drop it instantly then, eager to offer her own suggestions. “Well, I had a few ideas! I’d been studying as much of Amphibia Geography as I could back in the castle, and I’ve located a few remote spots we could easily hide out in if worse comes to worse. Of course, there are a few things we have to do first—namely, we have to get to Anne without being spotted by the King’s spies. There are a few hidden routes we can take to Wartwood, but I doubt she’s even gotten all the way there yet. She left Newtopia around five days ago, and from what I heard it took her several weeks to get there from Wartwood.”

Sasha listened intently, though a little dazed. Sure, she’d just figured out something terrifyingly  _ huge _ , but logically that should be peanuts compared to the mission they had on their hands. This was  _ life or death,  _ and it was ridiculous to be focusing on such concepts as lo—

“Wait,” she said, something clicking in her brain. “If it took Anne weeks to make it to Newtopia from the valley, how the hell did you get here before her?” Another pause and round of thought. “How many days ago did you say she left?”

“Five.”

“And how many days ago did you leave?”

“Four.”

_ Four days. Four days?! _

“Marcy what the fuck,” she sputtered. 

Marcy’s eyes rolled. “I have a very high maximum velocity, Sasha. And anyway, that’s not important right now. We’ve still got to pick a path—one preferably with a lot of flat ground we can run easily over.”

“ _ No _ , we’re not skipping over this, Marce,” Sasha pressed. “What the fuck did you do? Sprout a pair of wings?” This time she was going to find out. She wasn’t going to let Marcy brush off all her questions. 

“Language, Sash.”

“Shut up and tell me!”

A deep, pensive frown wove its way into Marcy’s face, the kind of expression she made when she was considering her options really hard.

_ Why? It’s just me.  _ Sasha’s arms folded instinctively, and she leaned her weight onto one leg. “Did you do something illegal again?”

“Um, no, not this time, I promise,” Marcy tried to reassure her, but Sasha was not reassured. “I took a few shortcuts, that’s all. There are… certain places no amphibian is allowed to enter. Well, they’re not  _ officially _ recognized by the King, but they’ve got a ton of  _ keep out  _ signs around.” Sasha raised an eyebrow. “They’re apparently really dangerous to pass through—tons of people have died or gone missing in there, y’know, the usual. But generally it’s not a smart idea to try going in unless you’re experienced enough to make it through alive. And I…” She rubbed at a spot on the back of her neck. “I  _ have _ had to enter a couple of them before. On missions.”

_ That. That is weird _ . It wasn’t quite registering for Sasha—that the easily frightened, quick-to-run Marcy Wu could actually enter a restricted area  _ willingly _ . 

“Are there any of these ‘shortcuts’ on the way to Anne?” She asked next, acting unfazed. 

Marcy’s eyes widened. “I mean.” She reached for her journal and began flipping through pages, halting on a few sketchy maps towards the beginning. “Um, there  _ is _ one nearby, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It only saves us half a day, and it’s absolutely crawling with giant birds. You know—herons, turkeys,  _ peafowl _ for some reason. Nope, we’re better off taking…” she twirled a finger in the air for dramatic effect before tapping it on a rather boring looking stretch of roads. “One of these. They’re actually pretty empty during the night, though of course we could always walk along the treeside.”

“Ugh,” Sasha groaned. “That’s not fair. How come you’re cool with going on deadly missions by yourself, but when I’m here you suddenly care about safety?”

Marcy shut her journal audibly. “Because I’m not just ‘cool with it’, Sasha, I genuinely had no other choice those times. And besides, I don’t want to end up distracted watching your back constantly when there’s danger lurking all around us.” 

_ Oh, you did not.  _

“ _ You _ watch  _ my _ back?” She scoffed. “I think you’ve got it backwards. Me and Grime have actually  _ fought _ herons before—and when have I  _ ever _ backed down from a Scare Dare challenge? I don’t chicken out. That was you and Anne’s job.”

Some kind of fire flickered in Marcy’s eyes, so brief Sasha almost missed it, but she could feel the tension radiating from her friend. She didn’t want them to do this—that much was obvious. But pride wouldn’t let Sasha back down from such a challenge. She’d never live it down if  _ both _ of her friends beat her at her own game, and  _ dammit _ , she needed the excitement anyway. All this sitting around, cooped up in some abandoned mill hadn’t been doing her any favors. 

Marcy closed her eyes, let out a breathy sigh, cupped a hand over her forehead. “This  _ isn’t _ a Scare Dare, Sash,” she said, but it was quiet—unsure. Sasha could work with that. 

“It is now,” she declared. “If you don’t want to write your name in the Book of Losers again, you’re just gonna have to suck it up. C’mon, it’ll be like old times.”

Even if Sasha didn’t know the five stages of grief, she truly believed Marcy blew through  _ all _ of them in the span of several silent, painful seconds. But by the end, some kind of reluctant acquiescence remained. “Fine,” she said. “But you have to promise me one thing first.”

Sasha’s heart soared. “Name it.” 

“You absolutely  _ cannot _ die. Understand me?” The fire was back again, but this time it was here to stay. And it had Sasha feeling  _ some type of way _ . 

“Can do,” she told her. “Watch. I’m not so easily taken down.”

Marcy burst into laughter, a reaction that took Sasha by surprise. “I beg to differ.” Suddenly, she remembered just how  _ effortlessly  _ Marcy had pounced on her and brought her to the ground this morning. 

She was strong. That much was clear. So now the question was no longer could Marcy keep up with Sasha, but rather, could Sasha keep up with  _ Marcy _ ? 

There was only one way to find out, and it was in the dark, rank woods with blackened trees, disintegrated grass, and of course, the dozens of flocks of flesh-eating birds with glowing red eyes. 


	2. The Forest of Bird Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This entire chapter is Sasha and Marcy arguing with each other whilst being chased by carnivorous birds for 10k words. 
> 
> You’re welcome!

All three of the toads seemed to have a high level of respect for Sasha, Marcy noticed. So when she told them it was imperative they take a dangerous shortcut to get to Anne faster, the other two agreed almost immediately. Grime asked a few questions first, namely,  _ why were they going after Anne _ , but in the end he also relented after Sasha explained the whole King’s spies thing. Their current priority was to make sure she was safe, and  _ then  _ go from there. 

It honestly reminded Marcy of the way she and Anne were constantly following Sasha around like lost puppies back home. But those days were long gone it seemed—Anne had apparently had a fight with her, and Marcy didn’t have  _ time _ to deal with her friend’s antics anymore. The only reason she’d agreed to this was that  _ yes _ , technically, it did save them some time. Though it also meant Marcy was going to have to keep an eye out not just for herself, but also for Sasha. Forget the toads,  _ she _ was the only one that mattered. 

She’d never gone through a forbidden territory with a companion before, in part because the King insisted nobody else could be trusted to do the missions but her, and the other part because Marcy didn’t believe enough in the skills of anyone else in all of Newtopia. It was too risky for anybody but her, and she most certainly didn’t want to be responsible for a death. Well...that was how it  _ used _ to be. But right now, she was so intent on protecting Sasha she was willing to disregard all three of the toads’ lives if it really came down to that. 

_ You must do whatever it takes to get you three back in your world safely. _

Whatever it takes. Marcy was going to hold fast to that—even if it went against her own moral compass. 

So the group decided it would be best that they set off at midnight, when the moon was highest and the night was quietest. They could clear this forest and take the path straight into  _ The Forest of Bird Calls _ , as the locals called it. Yes, Marcy had been around here once or twice, and yes she had snuck through this forest before. She kinda told herself she was never  _ ever _ going to come back through again, though. 

But here she was. 

Standing by the edge of the hideous mass of horrendously tall, twisted trees, glowing in the moon’s ominous light. One shriek, two shrieks sounded from within, and both the toad soldiers, who Marcy had come to learn were Percy and Braddock let out frightened noises in response as the former jumped into the latter’s arms. 

“It’s okay,” Marcy said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Those were just kiwis. I forgot to mention there’s quite an assortment of bird species in here. Yes, our biggest threats come only from three of them, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to worry about the others. There are a few medium sized birds that, while they  _ could _ still potentially devour a whole toad—” Percy nearly fainted, but Braddock smacked him back awake—“We have a much better chance at actually fighting them off. You’re going to want to aim for their wings. Nothing vital, just slice at the very tips with your swords. If they think there’s a possibility you could cause some real damage to a wing, then they’ll flee. And we  _ want _ them to flee, got it?”

Sasha snorted somewhere next to her. “Sure, got it,” she said. 

_ Really? ‘Cause I don’t think you do. I think you’re going to do the opposite.  _ This time, Marcy didn’t voice her thoughts. No more mumbling. This was the worst possible place for it.  _ But fine. If you wanna throw away all our lives for your pride, I’ll only save yours.  _

“Good.” Marcy turned with a flourish of her cape and reached a hand backwards. “Take my hand, Sasha, then Percy take hers, Braddock take his, and Grime should get in the back. We all have to be linked, because I’m the only one who has night vision goggles  _ and _ knows my way through this forest.”

“You’ve  _ been _ in here before?” Grime said, that suspicious tone returning once again to Marcy’s chagrin. 

“I have,” she said, trying her very best not to sound irritated. “Lucky for you, too. This would be a lot more dangerous if I hadn’t.”

Sasha grabbed her hand aggressively, and Marcy pursed her lips but didn’t turn around. “Alright, miss know-it-all. You gonna start walking, or do you wanna stand around all day talking?”

“I’m going.” She squeezed her friend’s warm hand with the same ferocity and took the first step into the deep, blackness of the forest. 

All at once, that familiarly overwhelming sense of dread coupled with the smell of wet leaves and musty bark was upon her, and  _ oh _ , what a sick kind of nostalgia. She could remember the exact day two months ago when she’d first stepped foot in this forest, and immediately had to hide in a tree when she heard a quail screech. It was equal parts intriguing and terrifying how many different birds actually resided in this neck of the woods, but the  _ most fun _ part had to be that every last one of them seemed to see her as a tasty snack. Marcy supposed she’d gotten so used to being high above the majority of birds on the food chain that being on the very bottom now was slightly jarring. 

She produced the pair of night-vision goggles from her lumpy bag and snapped them into place around her head. Normally she wouldn’t even need to use them, but the darkness of the foliage on these particular trees made the scenery practically pitch-black during the night. That was the inevitable downside, of course, but the upside of traveling through this forest in the night was that the three most threatening birds were fast asleep. 

Marcy was careful with each step, studying the ground beneath her and the thick branches above their heads. There was a lot to focus on.

_ I can’t let us trip over an exposed root or step on a crunchy leaf or run into a rotten tree or— _

She stopped. Sasha tripped into her abruptly from behind, throwing both of them off balance and almost toppling over. But when they regained their footing, Marcy simply stared ahead, sporting a frown with a growing dread behind it. 

“What gives?” Sasha scowled. “I nearly fell on you.”

Marcy put a finger to her lips, nervous anger seizing her. “ _ Quiet _ . Listen,” she whispered harshly. 

The entire group had stopped now, each one looking around anxiously with ears perked. Wind whistled ominously through dead branches, but no other sound reached the group from where they stood. 

“What?” Sasha said under her breath, impatient. 

Marcy gripped her hand tighter. “It’s  _ too _ quiet. Normally we should be hearing owls and kiwis just about everywhere, but we’re not. Something’s not right.”

_ Think, Marcy. If there’s no sign of nocturnal birds out and about, then they must avoid this area for some reason. It must be because it’s too dangerous to make sound in these parts, which is unusual for The Forest of Bird Calls for obvious reasons. In the time I spent here the air was of course filled with noise for just about the entire duration of the trip, so when was it not? _

“You’re mumbling again,” Sasha murmured, and Marcy put her free hand over her mouth. 

_ Shit,  _ she thought, but this time she didn’t voice it.  _ Okay. Go back. Think again. When did you not hear bird calls? Well, there  _ are _ a few specific spots that all medium-sized birds, especially nocturnal birds tend to steer clear of. And those spots are...are…  _

A freezing sensation crept upward from Marcy’s fingers and pervaded both her limbs and the back of her throat. She swallowed numbly and turned carefully to the group. 

“Alright, guys,” she whispered, so quiet they all had to strain to hear. “Don’t panic. But we  _ may _ have just walked right into a nest. Nests. Plural.”

She supposed the night vision goggles came in handy, since she was the one person who got to see  _ all _ of their expressions  _ drop _ like dead leaves in autumn. 

_ Good. At the very least, they  _ are _ taking this seriously.  _

“What kind of nests are we talking?” Grime asked her, helpfully keeping his voice down. 

_ Good question.  _ She had three options, so process of elimination was easy enough. One quick survey of the treetops above them and she’d ruled out the herons—because they made their nests above ground. But  _ both _ other options burrowed, so it was onto feathers. She released Sasha’s hand for a moment to pull off her goggles and blink, letting her eyes readjust to the night. 

_ The shrubs. I need to look over there. Sure, it’s probably suuuuper close to the actual birds, but I’ve done this before. I can do it again.  _

Whispering to the rest to  _ stay put _ , she carefully made her way over to the nearest bunch of shrubbery, plucked the first soft, wispy clump she found tangled in its branches and held it up in the moonlight. Blue. It was blue. 

_ Fantastic. We managed to get the most aggressive of the three.  _

She hastened back to the group and retook Sasha’s hand. “Peafowl,” she said. “They dig holes in the ground and then conceal them with branches and nearby shrubs. Also, they nest in flocks.”

“Peafowl?” Grime repeated. “You talking about those big blue and green birds that rich people keep as pets?”

Marcy nodded. Of course, she’d seen plenty of them up close in a certain newt king’s own massive bird playground, but wild peafowl were a whole different ballgame. 

“Oh,  _ peacocks _ ,” Sasha said, a little too loudly as the realization finally struck her. “You could have just said peacocks.”

“Then I would only be referring to the males,” Marcy shot back,  _ quietly _ . “Peafowl is the correct term for the species as a whole while peacock is simply the word for— _ no _ .” She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I’m not doing this. We have to be  _ quiet _ , Sasha. If one of the peahens hears us, they’ll decide a quick snack break is far more important than sleep.”

Grime pinched Sasha for her, and she dropped it just as quickly. 

_ Can’t believe I’m gonna admit this, but thank  _ frog _ Grime is here. He’s far better at handling her than I am.  _

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” He looked back at Marcy. 

And bonus points for him actually  _ listening _ to her! “Same thing as we’ve been doing before, actually,” she said. “Normally I would climb the trees just to be extra sure I don’t step on dead leaves, but that’s a horrible idea as a group. We wouldn’t be able to keep our hands linked so easily, and plus, your Toad Tower armor is a lot heavier than mine and therefore the most  _ impractical _ for climbing.”

Sasha snorted, and  _ oh for frog’s sake, here we go again _ . “You think we can’t do it? We’ve been  _ training _ for months, Marcy. We can climb. With or without armor.”

Percy and Braddock looked like they begged to differ, but Grime just shrugged. “I mean, yes, technically we did practice climbing with our heaviest sets of—“

“See? We’re good,” Sasha interjected, elbowing Marcy playfully. 

As much as she wanted to tell her friend off again, Marcy could admit to herself that climbing was by far the best way to go about this part of the trip. It was especially advantageous that she’d spotted the dark crevices carved into the bark of a great number of these trees when she did her earlier survey for herons. Not just that, but being closer to the sky meant more moonlight to offer better vision up there. Yes, everything was in climbing’s favor here—but that was when she was alone,  _ not when she had three toads and a reckless sass-mouth to watch over _ . 

Still, she relented. “Fine,” she said. “But be extra careful. Peafowl can’t fly too high up, but they  _ can _ jump. So you better watch your step.”

And so they took to the trees, having to unlink arms temporarily. Marcy whipped out one of her spare daggers rather aggressively and began scaling the trunk of the closest thick tree that looked sturdy enough. 

_ Oh right. Dead Trees fall very easily too.  _ There were so many things she needed to warn the others about—things that had become basic  _ instinct _ to her at this point, which was indeed another reason she despised taking this route with a whole group. Too many thoughts, and she ended up missing details. 

So it was inevitable that she forgot to inform everyone of the difference between a viable branch and a dead one, and almost instantly as they reached the very top of the tree, Braddock stepped on a dead branch. It  _ snapped _ in half, the sound echoing like a gunshot through the forest, and Percy subsequently let out a shout of his own as he surged forward to catch Braddock before she plummeted to the forest floor below. 

“Oh frog, oh frog,” Marcy hissed over her breath, snatching Sasha’s arm and yanking her over to the furthest branch on their tree. “The holes! We have to get inside one of the holes!” Then she pushed Sasha in front of her and pointed to the next tree over, which had one of the dark, gaping holes just a few feet downward from where they stood. “Make like a cheerleader and  _ fly _ , Sash. Aim for the big black hole right there. And you three—“ she turned to the toads, but they weren’t behind her anymore. “ _ What _ . Sasha, you were supposed to retake Percy’s hand the second we got up here—what happened?”

“He let go to catch Braddock,” she breathed, and finally Marcy could detect a hint of fear in her voice. “I think… they fell somewhere down in the lower branches.”

_ The chain is broken.  _ She could almost laugh hysterically.  _ I knew this would happen. I knew it, and I still…  _

“I  _ specifically _ had you in front of those two and Grime behind them because I  _ knew _ they were going to be the weak links.” She tried taking a deep breath. “It’s fine! At least Grime is with them both. Wherever the heck they ended up.”

“Wait,” Sasha said. “If you knew they were going to be weak links, why didn’t you put me in between them?” And Marcy startled. 

_ Great. Leave it to Sasha to notice  _ nothing _ but that. _

“I… um.”

“Ooooh,” she cooed. “You just wanted to hold my hand, didn’t you?”

A loud shriek rose up from the ground, one that Marcy easily recognized as a peahen squawk. “We don’t have  _ time _ for this.” She gave Sasha another shove, urging her forward again. “ _ Jump _ !”

“Fine, but we’re not skipping this!” Sasha jeered as she turned and leapt gracefully over to the next tree, landing perfectly in the massive hole. 

It must have been the shock of her miscalculation, or maybe what Sasha had just said that made Marcy stumble, but once she’d tripped over the _stupid_ _air_ in her attempt to follow Sasha, it meant both her timing and aim were off, and she _missed_ the hole by an aggravatingly tiny margin. 

_ Shit, shit, shit!  _ She couldn’t pull her dagger out fast enough to save herself before she—

A hand seized her arm from midair at an angle that brought her slamming face-first into the side of the tree and abruptly halted her fall. Her head snapped upward, now sporting a bloody nose, to find that it was Sasha’s death-grip around her, and that her friend’s eyes were  _ glowing _ pink, wide with horror and desperation in the pale moonlight.

_ Holy crap. She saved me. Not just that, but also— _

Without warning, the pounding of massive bird feet filled the air, and Sasha immediately heaved Marcy up, up, with all the strength she’d cultivated in her time as a cheerleader, and they both collapsed in a heap within the safety of the hole. Sasha’s breaths were short and fast, and Marcy could hear her racing heart from her spot laying over her chest. Sasha’s arms were still fastened to her, and yes this felt nice, but there were more important matters at hand. 

Marcy carefully picked herself off Sasha to lean back on her knees and wipe a streak of red away from her nose. “I’m sorry,” she said, and she really meant it. Her old clumsiness had caught up with her again, and this time she hadn’t been able to save herself. Why was she so  _ good _ at falling out of trees?!

“It’s cool,” Sasha said, but it was quiet and shaky. She still hadn’t calmed down, and Marcy could feel her trembling in the darkness around them. 

“Sash?” She scooted closer, reached a hand out and managed to find her shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re fine now. Woodpeckers abandon their nests whenever predators move in, so these holes are perfectly safe for us to hide in until the peafowl stop searching. They won’t search too long, either, just about fifteen minutes should be enough.”

“That’s not it,” Sasha told her, and her own hand came up to rest over Marcy’s. A flare of something rose up in Marcy’s chest, but she didn’t have time to pause and think about it. “Last time I saw Anne, I um…” and her breaths slowed, like she was thinking hard—even harder than Marcy perhaps. “Well we were on top of Toad Tower when it...it collapsed beneath us, and I almost fell, but Anne caught me.”

Marcy frowned. She hadn’t heard this part before. “Of course she would,” she replied, but apparently Sasha wasn’t finished. 

“Yeah, I know, of course she would, but,” she swallowed audibly, and confusion swirled around Marcy’s head. “I let go.” Her heart dropped from her chest. “The building was crumbling around her, and she was slipping too, and I was too heavy for both of us to be pulled back up before everything fell. So I let go. And… now I think I get why she looked at me like  _ that _ .”

“Sasha…” 

Sasha pulled her into a hug, both warm arms wrapping secure around her friend. “I couldn’t bear to watch you die. Because nobody else was around to catch you.”

Still dazed, but grateful nonetheless, Marcy let her own weakened arms return the embrace. “I wasn’t going to let go,” she assured her with as much confidence as she could muster. 

_ Yeah… I wouldn’t leave her behind this early in the trip. I still have to guide them through the forest, we still have to get to Anne, and we still have to…  _

“You better not  _ ever _ ,” Sasha told her. “Can you promise  _ me _ that?”

Marcy bit her lip. “I promise,” she said, but part of her knew she was lying through her teeth. She’d long accepted that her chances of making it through this mission alive were slim to none, but at the very least, she could promise that she wouldn’t let herself die in front of Sasha or Anne. That’d be too much even for her. 

“Good,” Sasha whispered, but she didn’t let go of Marcy. That was fine—it was comfy and warm here in Sasha’s arms, and Marcy had suddenly noticed that she fit perfectly between them. She rested her chin on Sasha’s shoulder, staring into the deep void of the darkness within their little hiding spot. 

There had been a lot to think about since the moment Anne had arrived in Newtopia, and it was now that she realized that her thoughts had been racing this whole time. She realized it because they’d suddenly  _ halted _ , faded away into the background as all she could focus on was this one moment. Because right now she and Sasha were safe up here, and they had some  _ time _ to calm down and take a break. 

The slick scales on Sasha’s armor caught Marcy’s attention, and she brushed her fingers over them, feeling the rugged texture of each one, the telltale signs of battle. She still found it hard to believe her friend had really adjusted this well to Amphibia even after she’d gotten stuck with one of the most  _ hostile _ environments. Anne had been lucky enough to land with the Plantars, the family of frogs who’d do just about anything for her, and Marcy had been lucky enough to end up in Newtopia. Sure, she was running for her very life now, but back then she’d fit in with such  _ ease _ , climbing her way up to the very top and receiving the highest of privileges in the King’s castle. But Sasha? It was all soldiers and war with danger lurking at every corner, and Marcy knew that would chip away at anyone’s mental fortitude. 

One of Sasha’s hands disappeared from Marcy’s shoulder blade and nestled itself into her hair, her fingers combing carefully through the messy strands. Marcy let out a breath.  _ This. This is nice.  _ She hadn’t been able to experience this kind of physical affection much since coming to Amphibia. The only time she actually let someone hug her, hold her, was when Anne was here, when both of them wouldn’t stop holding each other’s hands. Other than that, there was that brief hug with Lady Olivia, and of course the occasional high-five with the King, but nothing even resembling  _ this _ . Her cheeks flushed in the darkness, and suddenly this feeling was getting dangerous. 

_ I like it. A little too much. If I’m really starting to feel what I think I am, it’s going to be hard to say goodbye.  _

But Sasha wasn’t letting go anytime soon, so all she could do was bury her face in her friend’s shoulder, eyes squeezed shut and heart beating loudly. 

_ This was why… I put her behind me on this trip. I know it was partially to protect her, but I guess I really did just want her next to me and her hand in mine. She saw right through me. I can’t tell if she realizes it, or she’s honestly just being friendly now, but this right here is a problem.  _ Thank the good frog above she managed to keep her mouth shut this time. 

The sounds peafowl squawks began dying down around fifteen minutes later, just as Marcy had predicted, and it was then that she finally gathered the courage to extract herself from Sasha’s arms to peer outside of the woodpecker nest. Her friend joined her, still huddled close and still shamelessly invading Marcy’s personal space. 

“I think we’re clear,” she said quickly, partially because she wanted to move out as soon as possible and avoid looking at Sasha’s face for the rest of the trip, but also because she was starting to actually worry about the three toads. A little bit. A teeny tiny bit. 

“Then let’s go find Grime and the others,” Sasha agreed. 

They both made their way back to the tree where they’d last seen the toads and began climbing downward. This time Marcy paid careful attention to the state of each branch and nudged Sasha away from dead branches wherever she found them. They held hands again, though this time Marcy felt like her entire arm was on fire from the touch. It had been easy to disregard this kind of contact before, but knowing where the feelings originated was a dizzying kind of fear. Fear because she  _ couldn’t _ . Couldn’t fall for someone only to die before anything came out of it. 

Luckily, it didn’t take much time for them to spy the group of toads all huddled together in a woodpecker hole further down. They’d all survived. 

Marcy heard Sasha breathe a sigh of relief before she whisper-called to them from their spot. 

“Hey, guys! The peacocks are gone!”

Percy and Braddock looked remarkably relieved while Grime shoved his way forward and leaped up several branches to face the two girls. 

“Sasha,” he said, quiet, but still venomous. “This time, let’s listen to Marcy.”

Sasha stiffened up next to her, and satisfaction coursed through Marcy’s veins. 

_ See? You knew I was right the whole time.  _

“Okay,” she agreed easily, much to Marcy’s surprise. Then she eyed her in the moonlight. “I’m sorry, Marce. I messed up this time.”

Hold  _ on _ , was Sasha really  _ apologizing _ ?! Marcy grinned. “You’re forgiven, Sash. See, now isn’t it nice when you reflect on your actions and fix your behavior? I think we’ve been taught a valuable lesson today, one that will stick with us in the future and drive our subsequent—“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it.” Sasha clamped a hand over Marcy’s shoulder and shook her lightly. “Let’s get out of the trees.”

“Oh, but you must  _ listen _ to me now, Sash,” Marcy went on playfully. She wanted to milk this, even if it meant she was disobeying her own ‘be quiet’ rule. “I had a whole speech prepped for the moment you realized you made a mistake, and I wanted to share it with you.”

Some kind of cross between irritation and then maybe a softer affection brought a crooked smile to Sasha’s face, and that too widened Marcy’s own grin. 

“Okay,” she said again. “How about once we clear the pea-whatever-you-said nests, you can tell me all about it as loudly as you want?”

“Peafowl,” Marcy reminded her. “And deal!”

From there, they very carefully made their way down the trees and back to the forest floor, avoiding nearby nests at Marcy’s instruction. They rejoined the link of hands and followed her lead without complaint this time, so this time Marcy was able to use her night vision goggles to guide them out of the swarm of peafowl nests without making a sound. She breathed much easier on the other side, when the familiar sounds of owl hoots and kiwi calls finally reached them. 

So then she finally launched into her speech to Sasha about righting her wrongs and becoming a better person as a result. It was mostly just empty content overusing way too many big words, but it seemed her friend got the core message, and it served to further stamp it down into her head. Perhaps with this, the tables will have turned in some aspects, and Marcy might have more of a say in the future. She knew Sasha wasn’t too keen on seeing her friend in mortal peril again. 

But, unfortunately, that was exactly the kind of peril they were bound to run into because  _ someone _ had insisted on taking a deadly shortcut. A loud hoot rang out. 

“Hey, Marce,” Sasha, speak of the devil, whispered from behind her. 

“Mhm?” Another hoot. 

“Does that owl sound really close, or is that just me?”

Marcy smiled.  _ Good, she’s catching on.  _ “Yep,” she affirmed, popping the p. “It’s probably spotted us and is calling for backup. Now normally owls will  _ only _ hunt alone, since they’re already very powerful predators, But! We are currently in a forest filled with birds many times larger and stronger than them, so in  _ this _ particular area they’ve actually adapted to work in teams. We’ll be getting attacked by one of those teams pretty soon.”

Percy whimpered. “And uhh—why do you not sound at all concerned?” He asked fretfully. 

“Because she already told us what to do about medium-sized birds,” Grime answered for her. 

Good  _ frog _ , she was really starting to like him! “That, and because we don’t have to be on guard until the hoots stop—owls go silent just before they strike so they don’t give their position away. We have a few seconds to kill, so I say we keep walking.”

Three more hoots called in response to the first—each from different owls, Marcy noted. So they had a party of four. That actually worked out pretty perfectly for their group, since each of them could take one, and Percy and Braddock could fight together on theirs. 

Easy enough. They didn’t necessarily have to kill to win this fight anyway. 

The calls died away, and silence stretched out upon them for several heartbeats. It was here that Marcy finally let go of Sasha and drew her sword. The rest followed her lead, and they all backed against each other in a circle. 

_ Four...three…two…. _

A blur of dark brown swooped down from a nearby tree and careened in their direction at a terrifyingly high speed. 

“Duck!” She commanded, dropping to her knees and flattening herself against the dry grass. She could feel the others do the same. 

A great  _ whoosh  _ of wind rushed at them all at once as the owl beat its mighty wings and grasped at air, its talons snapping shut pitifully empty. With a cry of disappointment, it swerved in a wide circle around them. 

“Grime, chase it!” She ordered next, turning her attention back to their group. 

The captain did as he was told, breaking away from the circle to cut off the owl’s second advance with a wild swing of his sword. 

“Get ready for the next one.” Marcy stepped backward so they were all pressed against each other again. “If it swoops high, duck. If it swoops low, split. I’ll take this one—can you guys handle the last two?”

“Yessir!” Percy and Braddock responded enthusiastically while Sasha gave her a more relaxed “Roger.”

Weirdly enough, Marcy was starting to like this whole teamwork thing. It was a lot better than when she’d had to fend off a team of five owls all on her own. She sure had the scars to remind her of that one. 

But this time, as the second owl swooped low and they all split neatly into opposite directions  _ because _ she told them to, a little glow of pride filled her chest. 

_ Maybe this…could actually be fun! _

Off balance, the owl slammed against the ground for half a second before it took to the air again, confused and agitated. Marcy sped after it, slicing relentlessly at the bottom feathers of its frantically beating wings. It had been a while since she’d used a sword, but she had known it’d come in handy at some point. 

It took all of fifteen seconds of armwork and dodging giant talons for the owl to give up on trying to snatch her and flee into the sky. 

_ One down.  _ She turned and noticed Grime’s owl was also already rocketing after its teammate.  _ Make that two.  _

She grinned at him proudly, even though it was unlikely he could see her from that far in this darkness. 

_ Not bad. Maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh on the toads.  _

A screech split the air, much more high-pitched than the calls of retreat, and far too loud for Marcy’s liking. “Shit.”

_ It’s an owl screech. But why would—? _

She whipped around to find Sasha doubling back, panic on her face and her owl fleeing in the opposite direction, though a little more obviously wounded than the other two. She ran straight to Marcy. 

“Sasha. What did you do.”

Her friend scratched the back of her head. “Yeah, so, I uh, wasn’t  _ 100% _ paying attention when you were telling us what to do about the medium sized birds. And I’m starting to think maybe that last sound was a  _ teensy _ bit too loud.”

Marcy sucked in an exasperated breath through her teeth. Of course it would be Sasha  _ again _ . 

“To be fair though, this was  _ before _ I promised to listen to you,” she added hastily. “So it doesn’t count!”

The fourth owl took off after its friends, though Marcy knew this time it was for a different reason. She sheathed her sword angrily. “Great! Alright. We have about  _ three minutes _ before the herons come. When you severely injure an owl, it’s going to let out a  _ distress _ call. Distress means weakened prey, and of course that’s the easiest possible meal for any of the three giant birds, and therefore they would jump at that kind of chance. So now,  _ we wait _ .” And she glared at Sasha one final time. The look of guilt she saw gave her a bit of restitution, but it was largely overwhelmed by dread. Walking through nests of  _ sleeping _ peafowl was hard enough—now they were gonna have to face very much  _ awake _ very  _ hungry _ herons, and hiding in woodpecker holes wasn’t even an option unless they wanted to be skewered. 

“Wait?  _ Wait _ ?!” Percy shrieked. “Why do you insist on waiting for the birds to find us? Can’t we get a head start?!”

“We will,” Marcy assured him, only slightly irritated that he was raising his voice so high. “I just need one final detail, then we can run. But it requires the herons to actually be in our field of vision first.” She pointed to the sky. 

Grime moved to stand next to her, his arms folded. “Lieutenant, you’re an  _ idiot _ ,” he growled at Sasha before lifting his head in the direction of Marcy’s finger. “What are we looking for?”

Much as Marcy was tempted to hug him, she had more important matters at hand. “Direction,” she told him. “I need to know which direction they’re coming from, because that will tell us where their nests are.”

“Got it.”

It took about three minutes, just like it did the last time she was here, but eventually the sounds of heron calls drew closer, and just over the treetops they could see the dark shadows of two very large birds. The peafowl had been big, obviously, but they were a far cry to the grand size of these monsters. 

“There!” Grime announced, pointing his own clawed hand, and Marcy’s eyes followed it. 

“West,” she said. “So we have to go east! Okay guys, it’s time to run now!” She turned on her heel and broke into a sprint, the others following her a little more frantically. 

With her nerves fraying at the edges, now seemed about as good a time as any for an infodump. “Fun fact!” She said, panting as she ran. “Did you know Amphibia herons travel in pairs?  _ And _ they’re the only bird from around here that actually ventures  _ outside _ the forest on occasion!”

“Yeah, I knew that!” Sasha snapped. “That’s exactly how they attacked Toad Tower two months ago!”

_ Ah, so she wasn’t kidding about fighting herons.  _

Marcy grinned slyly. “Hm. What are the chances these are the same herons you guys faced?”

“You’re asking me?!  _ You _ do the math, Marcy!”

They were getting close, she could feel it by the way the owl and kiwi calls were dying away slowly, one after another. “Okay stop here!” She skidded to a halt, grabbing Sasha’s arm as she did so. 

Sasha stumbled forward with a curse. “What? Why?” She hissed, glaring daggers up at Marcy. “And why are you being so loud all of the sudden?”

“Because now we  _ need _ to make noise.” She helped Sasha regain her balance, and checked quickly that all the toads had stopped with her. “On the count of three, everyone has to shout something deep in their gut that they’ve been keeping to themselves for a very long time. And in turn, the rest of us have to be totally cool about it, and can’t say anything about it after today. Got it?”

“Wait,  _ huh _ ?” Sasha sputtered. “You want us to  _ yell _ out our  _ secrets _ ? Can’t we just scream bloody murder?”

“It’s more fun this way!” Marcy responded. “Besides—this is me getting back at  _ you _ for putting us in this position in the first place.”

Sasha opened her mouth to say something else, but she shut it just as fast when Grime  _ laughed _ from behind her. “I like your sense of humor, Marcy,” he said. “Fine. We’ll all do it.” And he clapped Sasha on the back for good measure, a silent command. 

“Good!” Marcy cracked her knuckles. “Alright, one!”

Sasha stiffened up beside her, probably weighing her options carefully, and that was fine because Marcy was too. 

“Two!”

_ Brace yourself. This could either go very well, or very wrong.  _

“ _ Three _ !”

A collective great breath was heaved, and then everything came spilling forth like a tidal wave upon the unsuspecting forest. 

“I HAVE BEGUN TO THINK OF SASHA AS A DAUGHTER, AND NOW I UNDERSTAND WHAT ‘MOM INSTINCTS’ ARE!” bellowed Grime. 

“I STILL HAVE TRAUMA FROM THE LAST HERON ATTACK AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO COPE WITH IT NOW!” Percy cried. 

“I AM SO GLAD TO FINALLY BE AWAY FROM ALL THE TOXIC MASCULINITY IN THE TOWER! FULL OFFENSE TO BOG!” Braddock cheered. 

“I DON’T SLEEP MUCH NOWADAYS BECAUSE I KEEP HAVING RECURRING NIGHTMARES ABOUT MY FRIENDS!” Marcy screamed from somewhere  _ deep _ in her chest. 

“I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE AMPHIBIA ANYMORE!” Sasha yelled with a cracked voice. 

Immediately after their screams died away, both Marcy and Sasha turned to look at each other with a mutual shock. She said…

_ No. Marcy, remember, the rule of this game is that you can’t bring up  _ anything _ that was said. We’re  _ done _.  _ Somewhere distant, a very distinctive  _ gobble _ drew her attention. 

She shook her head rapidly. “Okay, good job everybody! I think we’ve successfully caught the attention of the turkeys!”

“The  _ turkeys _ ?” Grime repeated incredulously. “Wait a minute.”

Sure enough, he’d paused to listen for owl and kiwi calls only to find that there were none.

_ Sorry guys. I know I should explain everything to you first, but I feel like there would be more push-back if I told you we were running straight into turkey nests. However, two things I can count on out of these three birds is that they each have their own territory in opposite directions of each other, and they  _ hate it  _ when either of the other two encroach on their territory.  _

“Okay, maybe it would’ve been helpful to know that sooner,” Sasha berated her, and Marcy groaned when she realized she’d mumbled  _ again _ . 

“Doesn’t matter anymore,” she replied. “This is turkey turf, and we’ve got two herons tailing us. So—the herons will be focused on trying to eat us, meanwhile the turkeys will be focused on beating the living daylights out of the herons. Defending their territory is a bigger priority than food, for some reason, so the turkeys are less of a threat to us.  _ However _ , the herons do move much faster, so we’re going to have to stall them for just a little bit before the turkeys arrive. You guys cool with that?”

“We’ve fought herons before,” Grime responded easily. “Granted, we did have an entire army that time, but I’m sure simply keeping them busy shouldn't be too much of a problem.”

Marcy nodded and took a deep breath to steel herself. “Good, because we’re out of time.” The heron calls grew loud again, and that familiar rush of wind was upon them again. “You need to dodge their beaks and feet and  _ split up _ to confuse them!” She yelled to the rest. “So that means it's everyone for themself right now!”

Percy shrieked once more as soon as both the herons made their landing, and everyone immediately fled in different directions. Marcy readied her crossbow and fired several shots at one of the heron’s long, skinny legs. In response, it let out a shrill cry of fury and stabbed its massive beak into the ground below. She dodged it with well-practiced instincts and fired another shot at the fleshy eyeball. 

It was pain this time that elicited its next shriek as it dragged its face across the ground with a loud rumble and began stomping feet-shaped craters into the dirt. Marcy caught a glimpse of Sasha bolting around one leg in a frantic rush, and in a moment of sudden panic, she took off after her. 

Unsurprisingly, Marcy was faster than Sasha, so she caught up with her rather easily and grabbed her hand. “This way,” she said, tugging her out of the danger zone. Even if heron feet were long, there was a certain radius which they couldn’t stretch far enough to, and that was where they needed to go to avoid getting squished by the giant bird’s giant tantrum. 

“Hey hey, worry about yourself!” Sasha shot back. “I’m fine, okay? If you’re too focused on me you’re going to get distract— _ Marcy _ !”

Sure enough, she had indeed gotten distracted long enough to not realize that by leaving one heron’s danger zone, they were running right into the next one’s. And beak number two was heading in their direction, gaping wide with all its razor sharp teeth and lumpy pink tongue on full display. 

_ No.  _ Adrenaline exploded along every limb.  _ Not this time, you wretched creature. I’m not scared of you, so come get me! _

Whether or not she ended up saying that out loud, she didn’t know, because she was far too busy shoving Sasha harshly away from her and aiming her crossbow directly into the oncoming mouth. 

She could hear the shout of her friend for only a fraction of a second before the jaws clamped down around her, shutting out the moonlight and the sounds outside. Several teeth grazed Marcy’s shoulders, and her cape ripped off completely as she fired from her crossbow once more, the projectile rocketing down the heron’s throat and imbuing itself somewhere deep in its esophagus. It cried out in a hideously loud screech, garbled by the now bleeding puncture wound, but it was enough for the jaws to reopen and for Marcy to dive out of them, just narrowly avoiding getting impaled by one of the massive fangs. 

She hit the ground with a  _ thud _ , pain shooting through every inch of her body, and she stifled a whimper. There were bleeding scratches all over her, she’d already blown through one of her capes, and worse yet, there was a tear in her bag now, items threatening to spill out. But she got to her feet anyway, the adrenaline and a very determined rage blocking out every sting. She didn’t have time to slow down because the heron was already moving into its next attack. 

She raised her crossbow again, prepared to take yet another bite ‘cause  _ frog _ knew she was too stiff now to properly dodge. With a low bellow, the beak was rushing at her once more, gaping wide. Her teeth gritted together painfully as she braced herself for a round two, but it never came. 

It was Sasha this time who bodily  _ slammed _ into her, bringing both of them crashing to the ground and rolling sideways—just out of reach of the snapping jaws. And before the heron could change course, Grime had burst from a nearby bush and  _ cracked _ a bulky looking stick against the side of its face. He successfully drove it backward several steps and wasted no time in doubling back to launch his next assault. 

When Marcy finally snapped out of her daze to look up at Sasha, who currently had her pinned to the ground just opposite of how it’d been this morning, she expected to find disappointment, irritation,  _ any _ indication of anger in her eyes. But instead, all she saw was worry again. 

“Mar-mar, you good?” Sasha said, and it was so much  _ softer _ than she anticipated. A genuine concern—just like back in the tree. This struck her only mildly as strange, but what was really dizzying was how it made her  _ feel _ . Heat burst from her cheeks and chest, and her heart sped up again. 

In a flash, the moment was over—Marcy had nodded numbly, and Sasha had pulled her back up to her feet, a hand around her waist and her own arm tugged around her friend’s neck, and they both stood side by side to look out at the battle before them. But the feeling didn’t leave. No, rather, it was intensifying with the way Sasha was holding her now. 

It was the collective sound of gobbles coming ever closer that finally ripped Marcy’s attention away from Sasha’s infinitely comforting presence. The turkeys were coming. 

“Okay, we need to start running,” she told Sasha. “They’ll intercept the herons from the east, so we need to go northwest—that way.” Shakily, she pointed an unsteady hand to the side. 

“Are you gonna be okay?” Her friend asked first. “You almost just got swallowed.”

Marcy offered her a wobbly smile in the moonlight. “Yeah,” she managed. “Still got plenty of adrenaline to work with. Besides, there’s no time for breaks right now. We can use my first-aid kit once we’re clear of danger—so c’mon!”

She removed herself from Sasha’s arms, regrettably, but it was absolutely necessary to get them both moving before the clash happened. 

“Grime! Percy! Braddock!” Sasha shouted at Marcy’s heels. “It’s time to head out!”

The three toads wasted no time in fleeing from their positions to join up with the two girls. In turn, the wounded herons stumbled around in an attempt to chase them, but they were rather rudely interrupted by a chorus of battle cries—or  _ gobbles _ of dozens of turkeys descending upon them in a massive hoard. 

The cacophony of both heron and turkey shrieks that followed grated at Marcy’s ears, but it was well worth their glorious escapade. A grin crossed her face. 

_ Yep—fun. Knew I felt it earlier. I guess everything is just a lot less stressful when you’ve got four others backing you up. _

As the sounds grew more distant, Marcy’s adrenaline rush ran thin and the sting of all her scratches finally caught up to her. As a result, she stumbled. It came as no surprise, she was more shocked that it hadn’t happened sooner, more than likely during the  _ worst _ of the danger, but instead it was happening now. A sigh escaped her as the familiar sensation of falling overcame her, and she accepted her fate just as easily. 

Two arms wrapped around her torso, halting her descent to the ground. Sasha. Sasha caught her again. 

“Marce,” her voice was  _ so close _ as she pulled Marcy up against her. “Let me help you.”

She sighed again, disappointed in her own body for failing her, but also very much grateful for the support. “Okay,” she agreed. 

Sasha returned them to their previous position, with Marcy’s arm over her shoulder and her own on Marcy’s waist. It was the hold for injured companions, Marcy knew, though she’d never gotten to experience it firsthand before. Anytime she was wounded on missions, she’d had to drag herself back to Newtopia and collapse in the castle’s personal infirmary. Better yet, sometimes she just had to treat the injuries on her own with limited supplies and a less than sufficient knowledge of medicine, keeping her fingers crossed that it would heal eventually. That was where many of her scars came from. 

But right now she had someone she could lean her full weight into, someone who could potentially aid if she was too exhausted to patch herself up. “Ah, I really should start studying medical care,” she mumbled, mostly to herself. 

Sasha gently tugged her along, and it was then Marcy noticed all three of the toads had also slowed to match paces with them. 

_ They didn’t leave us behind.  _ She caught Grime’s eye.  _ They wouldn’t.  _

Maybe she should have considered gathering a team long before all of  _ this _ happened. Having someone,  _ anyone _ be by her side would’ve saved her so much grief. But what was done was done, and now all she could do was take refuge in Sasha’s team. 

_ I guess Anne isn’t the only one with a talent for making connections. So that leaves  _ me _ as the odd-one out.  _

Luckily for them, sending the turkeys after the herons had been a success, as they didn’t encounter another large bird problem for the rest of the walk out of the forest. 

The sun was already rising when the darkened, dead trees waned and a more visible trail came into view ahead of them. It was a small, quiet road with next to zero activity, as Marcy had previously recorded, and it was mostly safe from predators. It was there that the entire group finally collapsed in a heap, leaning against the closest live trees to the side of the road. A collective sigh of relief passed through each of them, and Sasha seemed to pull Marcy closer. 

“Alright, time for a break. And that’s an order,” said Grime. “We’re all tired, and we’ve got one injured, so I think it’s in all our best interests.”

Marcy nodded in acquiescence. Sure, she’d trudged onward during missions in worse states before, but the idea of sitting and  _ resting _ for a while was far too tempting to pass up. Especially when she was a little more than willing to fall asleep here in her friend’s arms. There were plenty of large roots and fallen leaves to keep them well concealed from anyone who might come through the path, and best of all,  _ no giant birds _ . 

“Where’s your first aid kit?” 

“Hm?” Marcy’s eyes had closed, and now they creaked open slightly when Sasha’s voice reached her. 

“You said you had a first aid kit. Let me have it, and I’ll do something about your back. Seriously, it’s kind of a mess.” The hand from her waist moved up and ghosted over her shoulder, drawing out a wince that Marcy wasn’t able to to stifle in time. It hurt. Kind of a lot. “See?”

Marcy groaned, her exhaustion seeping through, but she still sat up and pulled her bag from her shoulders to dig through it. A few small things had fallen out after that last attack, she noted, which was mildly depressing. At the very least it hadn’t been anything too important—just maybe a hairbrush and several berets. But she mourned their loss all the same as she found the box of medical supplies and handed it begrudgingly to Sasha. 

“Thanks. Now sit with your back towards me. I’m assuming this’ll sting a bit, right?” 

Marcy did as she was told and scooted closer to her, eyes closing once more. “Yeah,” she affirmed. “Disinfectant. Even if it’s made from different substances in this world, you can’t escape the pain of it.” 

Sasha undid the straps holding her armor to her chest and carefully slid the whole piece off, doing her very best to avoid scraping against any of the open scratches. “So I’m not  _ great _ at this, but I’ve been to the nurse plenty of times from cheerleading accidents.” Then she lifted Marcy’s shirt to expose the array of teeth marks embedded in her back. 

And yeah, that was fine. It wasn’t like Marcy could do a better job. 

She knew the whole ordeal was going to be painful anyway, but it certainly helped that Sasha’s free hand was settled comfortingly on her arm, thumb brushing over her skin as a silent reassurance. It was much easier to focus on that tingling sensation of warmth than the hot stings of lightning across her back as Sasha applied the disinfectant with a cotton ball. She bandaged her up afterward too, but the relief that coursed through Marcy’s very bones when she was done was something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Why was it that Sasha made her feel so very  _ safe _ ? The girl had led her and the entire team into lethal danger on multiple occasions, and yet she couldn’t help but be calm in her presence. 

_ You know what it is.  _ She did, but she refused to accept it. 

“You can sleep now if you’d like,” Sasha told her, snapping the box shut once more and shoving it in Marcy’s abused backpack. “The rest are.” And she gestured to the toads, who were settling down a little ways away from the pair. Grime found a fallen log that he was able to fit inside, meanwhile Percy and Braddock threw themselves in a patch of flowers. It looked comfy. “I’m taking the first watch. Y’know, since this whole thing is my fault.”

Marcy laughed a little. “Yeah, I guess it is. But on the bright side, neither of us ended up needing this—” she pulled The Book of Losers from her bag and held it up. Luckily, it was one of the larger items that  _ hadn’t _ fallen through the rip. 

Sasha blinked. “Wow, you really still had that with you?”

Her smile fell slightly. “Well…it has all of Anne and I’s little drawings.” She laid it in her lap to rub her fingers across the tattered cover. It’d been through a lot on this trip, and she could only hope it made it through the rest. “Hey Sash?”

“What’s up?”

It was still eating away at her, and it was now that there was an opportunity to bring it up, because it seemed the three toads had already gotten to sleep, and now it was just the two of them, alone. “I know I said we can’t bring up anything we screamed back there again, but I really can’t stop thinking about it, and I just  _ need _ to ask—”

“Hold on,” Sasha interrupted her, a hand resting on Marcy’s shoulder. “I get it. I’ve been thinking about that too. But, since you  _ lied _ to me before—” Marcy winced. “—if I explain to you what I said,  _ you _ have to explain to me what you said. Deal?”

_ Oh dear.  _

Marcy swallowed the lump in her throat. “Deal.” 

Anything _ to get you to tell me why you’d ever want to stay in a place as wretched as this.  _

Sasha sat back, leaning her head against the tree. “I know this sounds stupid, and logically all three of us should be searching for any way to get us home, but I’m really having a lot of fun here.”

_ Fun? Fun?? You’re joking.  _

“I’m not,” Sasha said seriously, her eyes fixed on her friend. “This whole trip through the forest? You can’t tell me you didn’t feel  _ any  _ excitement.”

“I mean, considering how many times I almost  _ died _ in there, it was basically just like a normal Tuesday for me.”

Sasha raised an eyebrow. 

_ Oh, right.  _ She remembered facing the owls and then the herons, just before anything had actually gone wrong, she’d felt… 

“Okay, okay,” she admitted. “I did have fun. I guess I can see where you’re coming from. It’s just that—to me, the danger outweighs the fun, y’know? What scares me more than anything is the thought that I might have to visit your grave in the  _ near _ future.”

Her friend huffed. “God, if you keep worrying about me like that, you’re gonna send  _ yourself _ to an early grave. Look at you!” She flicked one of the many bandages covering Marcy’s back. “This was because you just couldn’t leave me on my own. I  _ shudder _ to imagine how you’d fare if  _ Anne _ was in danger.”

Marcy frowned deeper.  _ Why? _

“It’s not as if I care about you  _ less _ than her,” she argued, and she noted the sudden regret that crossed Sasha’s face. “Both of you are my best friends, Sasha. I’d do  _ anything _ to protect you.” And good  _ frog  _ she suddenly realized she’d done exactly what she’d scolded Anne about back when they were facing the barbariants. She was starting to understand why Anne was so overprotective now. 

A quiet fell over them. Sasha’s expression had fallen, unreadable as she stared down into her own lap. It was worrying to Marcy, but she couldn’t think of what she’d said that might’ve bothered her so much. 

“Anything, huh?” Sasha broke the silence after a moment. “So then. Wanna tell me exactly what you were dreaming about back at the mill?”

_ Here it is. There’s nowhere to hide now, so I’m just going to have to suck it up.  _

Her nerves flaring up again, and that familiar sensation of numbness settling over her body, Marcy breathed in a large amount of air and let it come whooshing back out. This was the deal, and she’d agreed to it. 

“To put it simply, my dream was of you and Anne dying,” she admitted, and Sasha’s shoulders hunched. She didn’t look surprised, but she didn’t look too happy either. “When I said I have recurring nightmares about my friends, that’s what I meant. I had already known for a while that this world was dangerous, of course, but I tended to ignore it out of pure selfishness.” Her eyes flickered away from her friend and fixed on the grassy ground beneath them instead. “Just like you, I wanted to stay here. And I was scared that if either of you found me, then you’d  _ want _ to leave, and I’d be forced to come with. But I never stopped worrying about you—the nightmares began because I knew that by virtue of ignoring any leads on finding you two, I was essentially leaving you both to your own devices in a perilous world, off doing who-knows-what, and half the time I had no way of knowing whether you were even still alive.”

Sasha scooted closer to her, so that their shoulders were touching. “There you go again,” she muttered. “ _ You _ were the one going out on suicide missions for the newt king—Anne and I were plenty safe in comparison. I  _ know _ you knew that.”

“Yeah, but you  _ weren’t _ ,” Marcy shot back. “Andrias sent General Yunan for Grime’s  _ head,  _ knowing full well that you were with him and that she wouldn’t hesitate to take you out as a bonus. I was in the king’s pocket this whole time, and yet I never even noticed that. He was doing plenty behind my back, and it took me way too long to realize it, but I did. And from there, the nightmares changed.”

“To what—Yunan actually defeating me? Marce, we’ve kicked her ass so many times, I’m shocked she even kept  _ trying _ .”

“She never  _ ever _ gives up,” Marcy insisted. “It’s not too far-fetched to think that she’s still on our trail right now. And she’s not the only one. The king might’ve wanted the three of us alive before, but the second I abandoned my post, I put  _ all _ of our lives in danger. If he can’t have me, then he doesn’t want  _ any _ of us here. That means if one of us dies at any point for the rest of our time in Amphibia, it’ll be  _ my _ fault alone.”

Sasha scoffed, offended. “No, that’s ridiculous. Any of us could die because of  _ anything _ here. And it’ll be our  _ own _ dumb fault.”

“I was the one who found the music box in the first place.”

“Marcy, stop.” Fright, and maybe just a little bit of anger was edging her voice now, so Marcy shut her mouth just as quickly. 

_ But it’s the truth, and you know it.  _

“Is that really what you’ve been thinking this whole time?” She went on. “You can’t just blame yourself for everything.  _ All _ of us made a lot of stupid decisions that landed us at this point. I don’t care if you found the box,  _ I _ was the one who decided we should steal it, and Anne decided to open it. Besides, it’s not like we’ve all been miserable our whole time here. I’ve been enjoying myself.” She pursed her lips. “Anne has too. And now I know you have.”

_ Yeah. Maybe.  _ “But that still doesn’t erase the danger, Sash,” she mumbled. 

“But we have each other’s back.” 

Finally, Marcy looked up, looked up into Sasha’s eyes, and found the same sincerity she could hear in her voice. 

“You’re not alone, Marce,” she said quietly, and her hand ever so sneakily reached up to brush a strand of Marcy’s still messy hair behind her ear. “Don’t tell me this trip hasn’t made you realize that. I saved you, you saved me, and so did Grime, Percy, and Braddock. Even if Anne was selfish enough to leave you behind,  _ I _ won’t, and neither will the toads.” 

Marcy felt fuzzy again, but she couldn’t let herself get distracted. “It wasn’t selfish,” she argued. “Anne has a  _ family _ here.”

“That she met three months ago,” Sasha said, shaking her head. Her hand came to rest on the crook of Marcy’s neck. “Me, you, and Anne go back years and years. As close as I am to Grime and those two knuckleheads, next to you, they’re  _ nothing _ . That’s how important you are.”

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, Sasha had closed the distance between them completely, gently pressing her lips against Marcy’s in a most unexpected but not unwelcome gesture. Whatever fight Marcy had in her before suddenly disappeared as every inch of her simply  _ melted,  _ gave in to this feeling without complaint. Sasha was right. She couldn’t say anything against her anymore, so she let her win, let her take the lead on this one and chase away her final doubts. 

She closed her eyes, found herself swallowed up by Sasha’s gentle affection, which was something she never imagined possible before. But it was happening now, and Sasha’s arms wrapping themselves around her neck were real, just as real as the kiss she didn’t want to end yet. 

_ Fine then. You can have this.  _

She sighed into Sasha’s warmth, kissed her back too, because as much as she tried to deny it before, she really did want this. She wanted it so much. Her own arms curled around her friend’s back, pulling her even closer. Yes, Marcy could now admit to herself that she truly  _ needed _ Sasha. She wasn’t just trying to protect her as a best  _ friend _ , she wanted something more. And this was it. 

Sasha pulled back ever so slowly, both their eyes cracking open when it was over, but their hands stayed in place. “I,” she began, softly, in a low voice that reverberated through Marcy’s very soul. “Was thinking of doing that ever since we were up in that tree.”

Marcy gave her a smile, unsteadied by the simple fact that this was even happening. “I kinda was too. Didn’t think you’d be so bold, though.”

Sasha chuckled. “Have you met me?”

“Mm, yes, I suppose I have.” Marcy moved one hand from its position to reach up to Sasha’s face instead. She traced the scar in her cheek with her index finger, and watched her expression soften even further. “You’re so  _ different _ now though. And not just physically.”

“So are you.” 

_ And so is Anne.  _ They’d all changed in more ways than one, and this new development was certainly a product of that. 

“Mar-mar,” Sasha went on, her voice still quiet. 

“Mhm?” Marcy hadn’t yet removed her hand from her cheek, though now she’d switched to simply cupping it within her palm. She was so  _ warm _ , Marcy didn’t want to let go. 

“You wanna like...make this a thing?” She asked. 

_ A thing?  _ Marcy blinked. “What thing?”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “A thing as in, an official relationship—I'm asking you out. Be my girlfriend.”

“Oh.” Her own cheeks flushed red furiously.  _ Her girlfriend.  _ “Does that mean I can kiss you whenever I want to?”

Sasha nodded, a smirk pulling at her mouth. “Um, yes, generally, it does. Study up on that one, Marcy.”

“Right, right.” She knew that. Of course she knew that. It was just that being here in Sasha’s arms, coupled with her using such terms as  _ girlfriend  _ were quite literally melting her brain. She couldn’t think straight— _ ha _ —and so she needed to ask stupid questions. “Cool. That sounds great. So uh—that’s a yes then.”

Sasha’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, and  _ wow _ , that was nice. When was the last time Marcy saw her look this excited? She couldn’t remember. “Alright, then my first loving request of you, as your loving girlfriend,” Sasha drew closer again, and Marcy’s eyes went half-lidded. “Is for you to  _ go to sleep. _ You can lay next to me this time, but no dawdling around beforehand. Okay?”

_ She caught me, _ Marcy realized.  _ Well, I guess I didn’t exactly hide my tracks.  _

“Ah, now how can I say no when you make it sound so appealing?” she whispered, pressing her forehead against Sasha’s. 

“Then don’t,” her  _ girlfriend _ replied with a smile. And she brushed their lips very gently together again, a simple hint of a kiss, but it was just as exhilarating as the previous one.

Sasha let Marcy lay down then, let her curl into her side with her arms still fixed around her. Exhaustion dragged at Marcy’s eyelids once again, because the nap she’d taken before had neither been sufficient nor peaceful. But now, feeling so very cozy and safe in this spot, she didn’t fear sleep. With Sasha’s hand coming to rest atop her head and run through her hair again, she let her eyes close, let sleep finally take her completely. 

And this time, she didn’t have any nightmares. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gentle reminder that Sasha’s emotional manipulation absolutely does still work on Marcy, so I think we all know who won the argument this chapter :)
> 
> Anyway, I need a boost to get out of this writer’s block because I want to get to Anne as soon as possible here. Someone kick me


End file.
